


Imaginary

by WriteYourDarlings



Series: I'll Always Rescue You (Newt Scamander x Reader Series) [2]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2019-07-29 00:33:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 32,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16252976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriteYourDarlings/pseuds/WriteYourDarlings
Summary: "You have no right to talk about her like that, you hear? No right.""Newt, she never never existed."-Newt wakes up in a holding cell in MACUSA headquarters, no idea why he's there. The people there only tell him one thing: the girl he keeps mentioning and asking to see never existed.-Note: Story was written only after the first movie came out, so events and personalities that take place in any other movies are/were unknown to the author. Take this story at face value after seeing only the first movie.





	1. 1.

The feeling of being unconscious is one of the strangest feelings Newt can name. The thing about fainting, for him at least, is he couldn’t remember what happened before. He couldn’t remember the last thing he was doing, he only had some vague memories.

Yet, nothing he remembered could explain to him why he was laying down in a holding cell at MACUSA.

His eyes opened slowly, the eyelids peeling off his eyes feeling like peeling apart glue. He couldn’t tell why he was unconscious, he didn’t feel any pain, if anything he just felt… drained. Like he had lost all his energy. As he sat up, he looked around.

He was alone. That wasn’t normal, because although he only had faint memories, there was one thing he knew: ______ had been with him.

As he sat up, someone who had been standing around the corner emerged. A familiar face.

“Tina?” he asked, looking at her. She wasn’t alone, standing behind her was another wizard he recognized, Abernathy.

“Mister Scamander, you’re finally awake,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. Although he had been unconscious for a while, it didn’t seem like she was too concerned. She had a business look about her, which was abnormal. She usually was never that way when Newt was around, even when she was being sharp with him. She _never_ acted strictly business with Newt.

Because unlike a lot of wizards at MACUSA, she had a sense of humility.

“What, what am I doing here?” he began, trying to find his words. His eyes drifted away from Tina, he couldn’t bear to look at her right now. He was too confused. “Where’s ______?”

As soon as ______’s name left Newt’s lips, Tina and Abernathy exchanged glances. It was as if they were communicating without saying a word, and it only made Newt even more confused. “Well?” he asked, hoping to get their attention back. “Where is she?”

Abernathy spoke this time, ignoring Newt’s questions completely. “We need to speak with you,” he told Newt, and the doors to the cell opened. He grabbed Newt, and Newt didn’t have the strength to react or fight back. He was too busy trying to remember why he was there.

He went back in his memories. The last thing he could remember was walking around some empty streets, it was getting dark, and he was with ______ and Tina. Maybe someone else was there, but he couldn’t remember. He couldn’t even remember why they were walking.

How did a walk end up like this?

He was led into a room he recognized: the interrogation room.

Newt sat in the chair, and Tina and Abernathy stood behind him while an interrogator sat across from him. He vaguely recognized them, but not by name. All he knew is that he was part of the Investigative Team that Tina was on. _Why can’t Tina interrogate me?_ the question flashed across Newt’s mind.

The wizard sitting across from him attempted to make eye contact with Newt, but he just kept staring at the table. He was too much in his own head right now. The wizard cleared his throat and began to speak. “So, Mister Scamander, as you’ve probably heard, we’re in the middle of a crisis here, and we have reason to believe it’s inflicted by beasts you brought over.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Newt said in a small voice. “I don’t know why or how I got here.”

The investigator sighed. “You do know what I’m talking about, your memory is just foggy. Miss Goldstein told us herself that she told you all about the recent cases of Apathy Syndrome.”

 _Apathy Syndrome?_ Newt wondered in his head. The term wasn’t familiar to him, it had to be something they coined for the situation. It didn’t match with anything he knew in his book. “Can’t have been a beast, I’m not familiar with that term.”

“Mister Scamander… do you know where your case is?”

Newt’s head shot up at this. As far as he knew, if he didn’t have it, he figured MACUSA has impounded it. His heart started beating in his chest, and it felt like it was about to jump out of his throat. “My case is missing?”

The investigator looked behind Newt, making eye contact with Tina and Abernathy. “He didn’t have it when I found him,” Tina spoke up. “He didn’t have anything on him except for what he’s wearing.”

“Found me?” Newt asked, turning around and looking at Tina. “What do you mean by that?”

“Miss Goldstein brought you in. She said you came to visit her but never made it to her house, so she went out to find you,” the investigator explained.

“No, that can’t be,” Newt began. “The last thing I remember is taking a walk with you and ______. Tina, where is she? Where is ______?”

Once again, everyone in the room exchanged glances when Newt spoke ______’s name. The investigator sighed. “I’m afraid you’re right Miss Goldstein,” he began. “He’s not in his right mind right now. I’ll continue my interrogation later.”

“What do you mean I’m not in my right mind?” Newt asked, spinning around to face the interrogator. “I just can’t remember anything, and I just want to know where ______ is. Please, I’m worried about her.”

The way they were all acting when he spoke her name, Newt began to fear the worst. He feared they had obliviated her, or worse. No one seemed to want to say anything. They had no right to obliviate her though, they weren’t residents in America, so the laws about relationships between Muggles and wizards didn’t apply to them. Sure, people there could still find it wrong, but they couldn’t obliviate her. She was out of their jurisdiction.

However, what came next was worse than he imagined.

Tina and Abernathy walked around and stood next to the investigator, and Tina looked Newt dead in the eye as she spoke:

“Newt, ______ never existed.”


	2. 2

**One Week Earlier…**

“There’s magical pet-sitters?” ______ asked when Newt assured her that someone would be home to take care of Morrow. She wanted to bring the little Crup along, but ever since ______ and Newt broke him out of his shell, he was far too playful for all the other creatures on Newt’s cast. He was always full of energy and wanted to play, and he’d bother the others far too much. Newt was always worried someone would get hurt.

“Of course there is,” Newt began. “Usually students from Hogwarts looking to make money over the summer. I spoke to him, he told me he’d come over twice a day to make sure he had food and water, and he even said he’d play with him a bit.”

“Alright then, it looks like we’re all set,” ______ said with a smile, looking at all the packed bags they had with them. They were on their way to New York, a little trip to visit the Goldstein sisters and walk around the city.

After all, Newt had told Tina he would give her a copy of his book in person.

______ didn’t think she’d ever miss New York City, but when Newt told her about the trip, she got excited. There were times when she’d miss her little old apartment. Not that any good ever came from it, she didn’t really have any friends or anyone she was close to and the lady she had living across from her always seemed to yell at her. But sometimes, from her little apartment window, a sunset came over the city and she would see it over the Statue of Liberty, and it felt like home.

And New York rarely ever felt like home to ______.

It wasn’t that she got homesick. She had a new home – one she made with Newt. She just sometimes missed all the places she used to go, all the little shops she used to visit. So, she was excited for their trip.

“Let’s get to the docks then,” Newt said, giving her a half smile. “Don’t want to be late.” He outstretched his hand to her and she took it with a smile. It had been about half a year since their first Christmas here, and those months have been the happiest of either of their lives in their perspectives. ______ had found a nice job in London, anything was better than working in a factory. No more horrible foreman, no living from paycheck to paycheck. No more spending nights having to feed beasts all alone, no more always travelling, and always travelling alone.

They both had each other now.

______’s had in his, Newt flicked his wand and apparated to the docks. ______ was finally getting used to sensation, it wasn’t as bad as it used to be. Sometimes she pretended it did though, just so she got to hold Newt close when they were going places. He knew she was pretending but he never said anything about it, he had no complaints about holding her close.

When they landed on their feet, they took a moment to glance out of the small alley they had been in. “All clear,” Newt whispered, and they each grabbed their bag, Newt just having his case he packed everything in. On the other hand, ______ had a backpack Newt had enchanted so she could have as much room as he did. They walked out, hand in hand, and handed their tickets to the boarder.

Walking onto the boat, they were both immediately greeted by a cheery worker. “Hello!” she said in a sing-song voice. “I’m here to help you with anything you need. May I see your tickets?” Newt pulled out his ticket, giving it to the worker. She glanced at it and continued with, “Follow me!”

The worker led them down a small flight of stairs, walking to end the of the hall. Once they got to the second to last door, the worker turned back towards them. “Here’s your room, and here’s a key. We only have master keys right now, so as long as you don’t break into someone else’s room, there shouldn’t be any problems. I hope you two have a lovely day!”

And just like that, the worker walked away. Newt unlocked the door, and when they walked in, they didn’t know what to expect.

For getting the tickets somewhat last minute, they had managed to get a nice room. There was a bed on either side of the room, and the window gave them a nice look of the sea. They could see blue for miles already, and they hadn’t even left the dock yet. ______ looked over at Newt, setting her backpack down on one of the beds. “This is nice,” she said with a smile. “I didn’t think we’d be lucky enough to get a nice room.”

“Neither did I,” Newt said, looking over at ______. They made eye contact for a moment before Newt impulsively looked down at ______’s lips. Even though they had been together more than half a year, it was still a habit to not make eye contact a regular thing.

_____ smiled, knowing Newt’s habits and stepped towards him, her arms wrapped gently around Newt’s neck as she spoke. “I’m excited,” she began. “This won’t be like our last time in New York, right? No wizard is going to try to obliviate me?”

“They shouldn’t,” Newt began, finally looking into her eyes as he slowly put his hands on her waist. “You’re an official British citizen now, so even though they disapprove, since it’s not against any real law there you should be fine. They can complain all they like, but they can’t do a thing. I checked with the Ministry.” He assured. He didn’t want to make the trip without being sure, or else he would’ve done a short one-day visit by himself.

After all, a promise was a promise. He was going to give her a copy in person. Even though I didn’t seem like a big promise, promises meant a lot to Newt. He wasn’t going to break a promise with someone he considered to be a good friend.

“Good,” ______ replied with a smile, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “It’s too late now to get rid of my memories, that would be half a year of memories you’d be taking away from me, and that’s just too much.”

Newt just half-smiled and pressed his forehead against hers. “It’s going to be a good trip, but we have a long boat ride ahead of us.” He looked around the room again. They had gotten one with two beds, but for the past few months, it became a habit for ______ and him to share a bed. So, he put his case on the same bed as ______’s backpack. “I’m going to change into some better clothes to sleep in.”

“I should probably do the same,” ______ said, grabbing her backpack. She pulled out a nightgown in her favorite color, and Newt disappeared inside his case to get changed into his own nightclothes. ______ crawled into the bed and Newt emerged a few minutes later, getting into bed next to her. It was only seven, but since they knew it was going to be a long trip, they figured it was better to get to sleep earlier.

It’s not as if they fell asleep instantly anyways.

Newt wrapped his arms around ______ from behind, and she rested her head on his chest. To them, this was a perfect way to sleep. ______ sighed lovingly, closing her eyes. “I love you, Newt,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he whispered back, placing a kiss on the back of her head.

“I can’t wait until we get to New York. I want to see the Statue of Liberty again, and maybe we can go to a show, or maybe we can just go to Times Square. Or Central Park Zoo! You told me the last time you came you didn’t really get to see much, so I’m going to take you everywhere.”

Newt laughed softly, he loved seeing her enthusiasm. “That sounds perfect,” he told her. “There’s something I want to check too.”

“What’s that?”

“I just want to see if they have any new bakeries.” Newt said, lost in thought. Instantly, ______ knew what he was talking about. After all, Newt told her everything.

“We’ll see. I bet there is, I bet Jacob opened a bakery and it’s thriving.”

“I hope,” Newt whispered, and he pulled her closer to him, so she was pressing against him completely while he cuddled her. “Goodnight, ______.”

“Goodnight.”

They fell asleep, and not long after, the boat finally took off. It was a three-day boat ride, and the first night was always the roughest. It took a while to adjust to the boat being on the water. They both slept peacefully, expecting this to be the perfect trip. A nice little vacation.

_If they only knew…_


	3. 3

**Present Day**

Newt sat there for a moment, shocked. He only had one thought running through his head, and after a minute of nothing else clogging his mind, he spoke.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Abernathy spoke this time instead of Tina. “Mister Scamander, we found you being attacked in an alley by _something._ Miss Goldstein said you were coming to visit and she was worried when you didn’t show on time, and she got there just in time to help you out. You’ve been out for a while, and we have been keeping an eye on you to see if you were showing any signs of Apathy Syndrome.”

The interrogator sighed. “You’re showing no signs of that, but _something_ is wrong with you. You kept saying some woman’s name while you were out, and no one here recognizes it.”

“______. Her name is ______, and someone here does recognize it,” Newt said, turning to Tina. “Tina, please. Tell them about ______, I don’t care if you guys don’t agree with what she is. I just need to know where she is, she could be in danger. This situation has happened before, and it didn’t end well.” Newt looked into Tina’s eyes, but he was far from focused on her. His thoughts went back.

Back to that night at the abandoned castle.

The state he found ______ in.

How she almost died trying to save him.

Tina looked back at him, and it broke her heart to see him like this. It wasn’t what she wanted, it destroyed her to see Newt so desperate. She shook her head and looked away, not being able to see him in this sad state. “I’m sorry Newt,” she began. “I don’t know who or what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard that name, and I don’t know why I wouldn’t ‘agree’ with her unless she was the cause of all this.”

Newt shook his head, trying to get Tina to look at him again. “Tina, I _know_ you know her. You guys didn’t just have a chance encounter once or twice, you came to Britain when she was sick. You helped take care of her, you two were close to becoming friends. I know you know ______.”

“I’ve never been to Britain, I don’t remember visiting you,” Tina began, and she looked back at Newt, looking into his eyes. “The last time I saw you, we were saying goodbye on the docks and you were getting on your boat.”

“I never got on that boat. It was the wrong one, I had to wait a week for the next one. We spoke during that week, I stayed with ______. I’m not making this up, you know that Tina! Just please, remember! Why can’t you remember?”

“I can’t remember something that never happened Newt.”

The interrogator finally decided to get a word in. “Look Mister Scamander,” he began. “You’re not showing any signs of Apathy Syndrome, but you’re obviously sick. We’re willing to let you stay for a while, but if you don’t start getting better and start cooperating…” he trailed off, biting his lip.

“Then what?” Newt asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

“We’ll be sending you to St. Mungo’s, maybe indefinitely. We don’t know what’s wrong with you, or why you keep mentioning this ______ person.”

Newt’s eye went wide. “I’m not imagining her. Other people have met her, I know they have! Tina’s sister, Queenie, she’s met her. And so has…” Newt hesitated. Although he didn’t want to explain why, he was going to mention the other person he had in mind. “And so has Albus Dumbledore. He can vouch for her, I know he can. She’s not made up, she’s real. I promise.”

Abernathy sighed. “I guess it’ll be my job to check those sources, right?” he looked at the interrogator.

“Fine. Check with his sources, they’re not going to turn up, but I guess he has a right.”

“You’ll see. I promise. She’s very real,” Newt began. “And every second I’m stuck in here, she’s out there, possibly in danger. Whoever took my case could’ve taken her too.”

“And why would they do that?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

The interrogator shook his head. “Miss Goldstein, take Mister Scamander back to the holding cell. I’ll continue this when he’s feeling better. Abernathy, keep me updated on those responses.”

Tina took Newt’s arm gently. He was already going through a rough time, he didn’t need Tina to act terrible towards him. She walked him back to the holding cell, neither of them saying a word. When he went in and she closed the door, Newt finally spoke. “Tina, what is going on?” he asked softly. “Why are you pretending not to know ______? Is she in some kind of danger? I can’t remember a thing since I arrived here. I just need to know what’s going on.”

Tina took a breath. “What’s going on, Newt, is you arrived here and got attacked. We have a situation going on here, it’s not good. You’re sick, Newt, and I’m afraid for you.”

“I’m not crazy, Tina.”

“Newt, I’ve never met a single person named ______ in my life. Not even once. I never visited you, and I don’t know who you’re talking about. But I hope she stops haunting you soon, because she’s making you ill. Whoever she is, she’s not doing you any favors.”

“You have no right to talk about her like that, you hear? No right.”

Tina sighed, putting her head in her hands. “Newt, _she never existed._ ” She looked up from her hands and straightened herself out. “I’ve got to get home, it’s late. I hope you get better. I know you will, you’re strong. Goodnight, Mister Scamander.”

Without saying another word, she turned around and started walking down the hall, leaving Newt alone in the holding cell. He turned around, sitting on the bed and curling up, trying to think.

______ was real, he knew that. She had to be real.

He needed her to be real.

 _Why don’t they remember her?_ He thought, looking up at the ceiling. _Why am I the only one?_


	4. 4

**Four Days Earlier…**

“Wake up!” a voice called out to Newt. “If we sleep in any later, we’re going to miss London completely.”

Newt began opening his eyes slowly, his eyes meeting ______’s as soon as he opened them. She was smiling as he laid on top of him, the two of them tangling with each other during the night. Newt rarely ever kept still in his sleep, he wasn’t one to fall asleep in one position and wake up in that same position.

“Alright, I’m getting up. I’m going to get changed and start feeding, do you want to help?” he asked her, wrapping his arms around her. He may _say_ he’s getting up, but right now, that was the last thing he wanted to do. He just wanted to lay here with ______ for a while, they had been on the ship for three days now and Newt was starting to get sick of the small breakfast they kept upstairs in the kitchens. Newt fed his beasts better than they fed them.

“Sure!” ______ told him, sitting up on the bed. “I’ll get changed and then I’ll be right in to help you. I can’t believe we’re finally here, it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve been here. I can’t wait.”

Newt laid down in bed, just keeping his eyes on ______ and admiring her. There were times when he swore he could stare at her for hours and not get sick of what he was looking at, and these were one of these times. Newt loved the way she looked in the morning, despite her protests of telling him that she wasn’t a pretty sleeper. He loved it, he loved everything about her. He’s heard people say, “take a picture, it’ll last longer” so many times before, but there was something about ______ Newt just could never capture in a photo.

However, reality kicked in and he realized he couldn’t lay in bed all day with ______, as much as he wanted to. He rolled out of bed, getting up and stretching. “Well, we’ll be there for a while, so we’ll have all the time in the world to do what you want and see whatever you want.” Newt told her, turning back to face her before he went down into his case.

“Well, this trip isn’t all about me. Sure, I miss home, but don’t forget, you’re there too. We can go sightseeing, and I was thinking… as long as we’re in America, we don’t have to stick strictly to New York. We can go all over! See lots of different things. I thought that would be fun… don’t you?” ______ asked, keeping her eyes fixed on his. The eyes he fell in love with, the eyes he couldn’t imagine living without.

“Really?” he asked, his eyes lighting up with scientific excitement. The first time he went to New York was exciting enough, all the new surroundings and people. If there hadn’t been such a catastrophe going on at the time he went, maybe he would’ve enjoyed the trip even more. “That sounds great! We’re there for a while, so we should have plenty of time after visiting Tina and Queenie.”

______ smiled. “Perfect. Well the, we should get ready. Tina and Queenie are expecting us at their house, right?”

“Yeah. Oh, and don’t forget what I told you about where they live-”

“Don’t worry Newt, I haven’t. They’re not allowed men, so I get to sneak you up in your case,” ______ said, laughing just a little. “I haven’t ever done that before. It’s a little fun to think about – I get to sneak _you_ in somewhere _you’re_ not allowed to be. It feels like the tables have finally turned.”

Newt just smiled back at her, his worry beginning to melt. “Good, just making sure. You’re keeping up as always.” He opened his case and started climbing in, leaving ______ behind in the room alone.

She couldn’t help but bounce a little on her feet as she began to get ready. It wasn’t just New York that was getting her excited anymore – it was the time that she got to spend with Newt. They haven’t really travelled anywhere or gone very far ever since Christmas, and so this was their second big trip together.

She was just hoping it would be a quiet vacation this time. That maybe this time, everything would happen without any unreasonable catastrophe.

No more being taken by dark wizards. No more power-hungry people looking to use some magical beasts as a weapon.

_If only, if only…_

After getting ready and helping Newt feed the beasts, the two of them headed to the top deck of the ship. They sat on a bench, seeing the harbor of New York getting closer and closer. ______’s eyes widened, seeing her old home in the background. “Look Newt, you can see the Statue of Liberty already from all the way out here!”

Newt looked out, looking over at exactly what she was staring over at. “I bet it looks even better up close,” Newt told her. “I never really visited it the entire time I was over here.”

“You didn’t?” ______ asked, shocked. “We should go see it! We can go right to the very top, and look out on the entire city. You wouldn’t think it would be that special of a sight, but Newt, you should see it. Especially at night. It’s the city of lights, and everything feels alive. I would always call it such a wicked old city, but at night from the top of the statue, it felt alive. It felt like maybe there were better things to New York than all of the things I was experiencing.”

Newt looked over at her, drinking in every word that she was telling him. He never really heard her talk about New York in an endearing manner before, but then again, she had her reasons. Maybe all the distance she put between herself and New York gave her a new perspective. After all, when she was living there, life wasn’t exactly the best. She worked at a factory with a foreman who tried taking advantage of her, and she didn’t really have anyone.

Not until Newt came around.

Newt leaned over, kissing the top of her head. “I’d love to see a place like that,” Newt told her. “It seems like it means a lot to you, so I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

______ leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder. She managed to convince Newt to ditch the layers upon layers of clothes he usually wore, telling him that New York six months into the year wasn’t exactly going to be weather you’d want to wear lots of layers in. So, he was down to a simple summer outfit. Dress shirt, suspenders, dark blue dress pants and a black tie, which he left undone. Her fingers went to the front of his shirt, playing with the brown suspenders. “So, once we get to their house, what’s the plan?”

Newt leaned his head over, resting it softly against hers. “Well, I figured we’d stay for dinner, and then tomorrow we’d go around the town and see all the things we’ve been thinking about. Like I said, I have a certain bakery I want to find.”

“And we’ll find it together,” ______ told him. “Do you think Tina and Queenie would want to see the city with us?”

“I’m not sure, they might have to work.”

“Oh, right,” ______ said, her hands sliding towards the top of his suspenders before letting go of them. The last time she met Tina and Queenie, she had been out for a few days and was still a little disoriented from being out for so long. The two of them were incredibly kind for coming all the way across the sea to help Newt, but they didn’t really stay long. She always wished that she’d get to know them more.

Especially Tina. She seemed like a complicated person, like everything about her wasn’t on the surface. It was obvious she cared for Newt, and that much ______ appreciated about her. She was there to help Newt when she couldn’t be – when she was the cause of his worry. She always felt so bad that the two of them left before she could really show any real form of thanks.

Well, besides what she and Queenie discussed. She remembered their conversation, about what Queenie said about Tina’s feelings for Newt. _It’s been so long,_ ______ thought. _Surely, Tina would’ve gotten over Newt._ She just didn’t want Tina to be mad at her from the start about something that ______ couldn’t exactly have complete control over – she didn’t get to choose who she loved, and she didn’t make newt love her back either. It just happened that way.

Surely Tina was adult enough to understand that.

The boat whistle went off as they arrived into the docks, and Newt and ______ got up, grabbing their things and heading to the exit. As the two of them got through security checks and passport checks, they were good to go – stepping into the city of New York. ______ looked over at Newt. “So, the Goldstein’s place?” she asked, reaching her hand out.

Newt look it, smiling just a little. “Let’s go,” he told her as they began to walk down the streets of New York. Just a few months ago, Newt was still blushing every time he and ______ showed affection in public, even if it was something as small as holding hands. Finally, it became second nature, and ______ made everyone else just an afterthought.

Getting to the foot of their building, ______ and Newt stepped into a mostly empty alleyway, Newt getting into his case. Sure, he could’ve apparated the two of them up there, but ______ was having such fun with the idea of sneaking him onto somewhere for once, and who was he to take away her excitement?

She walked past the owner of building without them giving her even a second glance, heading up to the Goldstein’s apartment. Since they knew about ______ and Newt’s arrival, they kept the door unlocked. She walked in the apartment, putting down Newt’s case and giving it a gentle knock before looking around their home.

______ had seen some domestic magic with Newt, but _wow._ These two really went all out when it came to using magic in a home setting. They had clothes drying by the fire, floating my themselves, dishes that were doing themselves and the entire home just felt sort of… magical. Just walking in, ______ knew right away that this was a special space.

Newt emerged from his case, looking around the Goldstein apartment. “Are they here?” he asked, securing the locks of his case.

______ turned to him. “I don’t think so. If they have, maybe they didn’t hear the two of us come in.”

“No, I suppose they’re just at work,” Newt said. “We should wait for them. Do you want something to drink? I don’t think they’d be upset if I made us something to drink.”

“Yeah, I’d love something to drink,” ______ told him, sitting down carefully on the couch and watching him walk to the kitchen. She was entranced by his every move, even as he stumbled looking for where they kept cups and kettles. Everything about Newt, all his little quirks and words were special to her. They all meant something to her, and Newt just wouldn’t be Newt if he lost even a single one of them.

The only thing that changed about him from the time they met is he got a lot better at speaking up, and sometimes he was the one to make bold moves. He always did so with a little stutter, a little hesitation, and of course, not much eye contact. But she was used to that, it was one of the many things that just made Newt, well, Newt.

They sat in the living room for what felt like hours, and right as the two of them began to worry, the Goldstein sisters came stumbling into their apartment. Immediately, Tina began to apologize. “Oh! Newt, ______, I’m so sorry we kept you waiting. You’d never believe it, but we kind of have a huge situation happening over here at the moment.”

Those were just the words Newt feared. “What kind of situation?” Newt asked, fear clear in his voice.

The look in Tina’s eyes and her words made his heart sink. “It’s… beast related. And I think maybe you could help.”


	5. 5

Newt and ______ followed Tina into the dining room, where she laid her case on top of the table and began to open it. She hesitated for a moment. “These files are supposed to be authorized eyes only. You guys can’t say a word about this, not to anyone.” The two of them nodded, and she opened the case, pulling out files in a manila folder. Opening the files, she began to lay out pieces of paper on the table.

“What I have here are some eyewitness sketches. Of course, we’ve obliviated every Muggle in the area of the attacks as a precaution, so all we have are the words of a few wizards. The descriptions always seem to vary, but they all have one thing in common: a black cloak.”

Newt looked at the papers, beginning to analyze each and every one of them. Some of them were described in a black cloak, some were black shadows, some looked like tattered black clothing. The descriptions never seemed to match up, but they all kept a black coverup as a common theme, perhaps not quite a cloak. As he started to pick up the drawings and look for miniscule details, he tuned out the rest of the world, including what Tina and ______ talked about next.

“So, you said these were attacking people. Strictly wizards, or are they targeting Muggles too?”

Tina drew in a breath, choosing her words carefully. “They’re attacking no-majs and wizards born from no-majs, it seems.”

______ bit her lip. “How exactly are they attacking these people?”

“They’re being infected with something we’ve been calling Apathy Syndrome,” Tina began to explain. “We’ve never seen anything like it over here in the States. People begin to walk around and exist like empty shells. No emotions, no memory, no sense of self. The people who’ve been attacked won’t even speak to us to tell us what happened, they just… are silent. They’re alive, but something feels like it’s died inside them. We have to rely on people around the scene, which is probably why the sketches aren’t very consistent. Everyone’s just so panicked, no one knows what to do.”

“Is there anyone at all who’s survived an attack?”

Tina shook her head. “No, not yet.” As soon as Tina told her that, she could see some worry begin to bubble up in ______’s eyes. Tina immediately knew why. _Of course that information would worry her. She’s a no-maj._ “Hey, don’t worry. Now that we have Newt, an actual beast expert, I’m sure we’ll figure out that this thing is in no time. And once we figure that out, we can get rid of it.”

“I hope so…” ______ trailed off, looking over at Newt, who was now flipping through pages of his beast manual. She walked over to him, standing by his side and looking over at the pages. “Find anything yet, Newt?”

Newt looked over at ______. “I think so. I mean, the only consistent thing here is that they’re all covered in some dark cloak or clothes, right?”

“Right,” ______ said, and Tina came over to the two of them, getting on the other side of Newt, ready to listen to what he had to say.

“Alright, so in some of these drawings the figure is larger. In some it’s smaller. The thing is, I don’t the fact that it varies appearances is just an unreliable witness thing. I think I might know what’s attacking people.”

“Well, what is it?” Tina asked. “How can we stop it?”

“I believe it’s a Lethifold. They’re dark creatures who attack muggles and wizards alike, and they’re incredibly rare and known for their cloak-like appearance. They also vary in size, they’re larger if they just digested a victim and smaller if they haven’t attacked anyone yet. Like I said though, they’re incredibly rare. That’s probably why you’ve never had one over here. They usually stick to tropical climates.”

“Alright, so what is this one doing in New York?”

“No idea. Maybe someone brought one over somehow and hoped for something like this to happen.”

“Can they be stopped?”

“Quite easily if you’re a wizard. You can conjure up a Patronus and it scares them right off.”

“What if you’re a Muggle?” ______ asked, worry clear in her voice.

Newt turned to her. “As long as you’re by my side,” he began. “You won’t have to worry about that.” His voice was serious, his tone unwavering. The last time ______ heard Newt use a tone so protective was back when…

Well, back at the castle, all those months ago. Back with Maverick.

She gave him a smile. “Alright. I’m trusting you, Scamander.”

“Don’t worry,” he told her, leaning over and kissing her gently on the forehead. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Tina cleared her throat, getting the attention of the affectionate couple. “So, how do we find this thing?”

“We should probably start first thing in the morning,” Newt told her. “These things hunt at night, so it’ll be dangerous to go out now. We don’t know how many are out there, and we need to make a plan. We can’t go out there without a plan.”

Tina was taken aback. Just a few months ago, Newt was out in the streets of New York looking for his beasts without stopping to make a plan. The only thing on his mind was getting all his creatures back, he wasn’t above lying to Tina to get out there and look for them. So, what’s changed?

Just one thing she could think of: ______. He had her to look out for now, and bringing a no-maj into a situation like this one wasn’t very safe. So of _course_ he was going to be looking out for her.

“Alright,” Tina said, putting her hands on her hips. “First thing tomorrow morning we’ll go looking for it. We should probably take an early night then, that way we can wake up bright and early to start looking.”

“Have you two eaten?” Queenie asked from the other room, the first time she’s spoken up since the two girls got home. She had stayed quiet for a while. Tina was the one who knew all about what was going on, so she let her do all the talking.

“I’m not very hungry,” ______ spoke, standing a little closer to Newt. She was still thinking about this creature. Why was it only attacking muggles and muggle-born wizards? Are they being controlled? It had to be the only solution, creatures don’t just naturally target people like that. But, who would do that?

She shuddered, her hand moving over to her arm and feeling the scar that had been left on her all those months ago. _Muggle._

Queenie read her mind by habit and didn’t press dinner any further. “Alright. What about you, Newt? Are you hungry?”

“Not really,” Newt told her, looking over at ______. He knew something was wrong. “I think I’m just going to turn in for the night. I’m guessing we’re staying in the same room I stayed in last time?”

Queenie nodded. “Just let me know if you need anything, honey,” she told him in a reassuring voice. Right now, newt wasn’t very easy to read. He had so many things running through his head, Queenie got lost trying to look into it.

Newt nodded, taking ______’s hand and leading her down the hall. Tina looked over at Queenie. “Did you sense anything weird about the way they were acting?” she asked.

Queenie nodded. “Something happened a while ago. Remember when we took care of ______? And remember… remember what she had written on her arm?”

Tina shuddered thinking about it. During the time she and Queenie were looking after ______, they noticed an injury on her arm that read _muggle._ When they asked Newt about it, he avoided the questions and didn’t want to talk about it. Queenie tried prying, but Newt could tell and told her not to. He was so deadly serious, Queenie decided against it. To this day, they still don’t know what caused that mark. “How could I forget?” Tina asked.

“Well, it keeps bothering ______. I think this whole case is just bringing back memories the both of them would rather forget.”

Tina looked over to the hall Newt and ______ disappeared down. _What happened six months ago that made them both like this? What really caused all that pain back then?_


	6. 6

**Present Time**

Tina walked out of the MACUSA building, and right away, she wanted to start crying. She was fighting every instinct to run back in there and go right up to Newt and be there for him. To comfort him. It didn’t even have to be in any romantic way, she just wanted to be there for him, because right now she felt awful.

She hated seeing him like this. Newt looked emotionally exhausted, drained of all life. Every time she told him ______ never existed, more light drained from his eyes. She was surprised she didn’t already break down, that she wasn’t already crying. She might seem tough, but she was easily hurt. She could barely hold herself together when it came to someone she cared about.

But she couldn’t forget one important thing: the whole ______ lie was _for_ him. Because if newt ever found out the truth, well…

She knew he’d never forgive himself. He’d never let it go. He _loved_ her, and if he found out what really happened, it would tear him apart.

So, she had to lie. Maybe if he thought she wasn’t real, then she would never have to tell him. She was doing this _for_ him, or at least that’s what she kept telling herself. She just couldn’t get the imagine out of her head.

She walked through the streets of New York, the summer night giving her enough warmth so she didn’t have to wear a coat tonight. It was such a nice night, but that only made her feel worse. She felt like she didn’t deserve such a nice night, not when so many bad things had happened. It almost felt fake. She was hoping the whole situation was imaginary, that maybe she’d wake up, and she’d be back at home. She’d be going to work, no situation going on, Newt and ______ on their way over to their house from New York.

But that wasn’t possible. This was reality, and she had to face it.

Her thoughts drifted back to the situation. She had to keep up this lie, she couldn’t let Newt find out what really happened. She had anticipated him asking Queenie, but not Dumbledore. But it didn’t matter to her. At this point, she was willing to tamper with the mail and messages if Dumbledore ended up being able to confirm ______’s existence. She would do whatever it took. She didn’t care about the risks, about the possibility of losing her job.

Newt could not find out the truth. She didn’t care if he hated her, if he didn’t want to talk to her. If he snapped at her like he did before. It was better than what could be.

She walked up the stairs of her apartment, managing to keep the tears in her eyes. She walked into her apartment, opening the door and sitting down on the couch, laying back and putting her head in her hands. It wasn’t until Queenie spoke up that she lost it.

“So, how’d it go?”

Tina started crying, and Queenie put down the dress she was working on and headed over to her, sitting down next to her on the couch and putting an arm around her. “Hey, Teeny, hey. Shh, it’s going to be alright,” she began to comfort her. “What happened?”

Tina began to take deep breaths, trying to steady herself enough to talk. “You should see him, Queenie. He isn’t giving up, and I don’t think I can keep doing this. I don’t think I can keep up. I can’t stand seeing him like this.”

Queenie hesitated before speaking again. “I need you to tell me everything, Teeny. Everything that happened that night, and everything that you’ve told Newt. I already told you that I’d go along with it, but please. I need you to trust me, okay? I’m your sister, you can tell me everything.”

Tina put her head up, looking over at Queenie with swollen eyes. “Alright, alright. You deserve to know.” She took a deep breath.

“I didn’t have choice. I could… I could only save one.”


	7. 7

**Three Days Earlier…**

Although the room Newt and ______ stayed in a room that had two beds, just like the boat, they slept in separate beds. The beds Tina and Queenie had in that room were far too small to share, they were one-person beds. So instead, they ended up both facing each other, talking for a while before they both went to sleep.

Newt was concerned for ______. There was something about this case that brought back bad memories, and they had hoped to come here to sightsee. To walk around the town, travel a little. Newt didn’t want to get involved in another situation.

But he couldn’t control everything in his life. He could only hope that they could solve this quickly. But knowing Lethifolds, this wasn’t going to be an easy task.

Or a very safe one.

Getting up before the sun was out wasn’t a fun thing to do, but it’s what they had to do. They had to get an early start on leads to where to look for it, because when nighttime came, it was time to find it. Newt had only ever written about these Lethifolds before, making sure to always keep his distance. It was too dangerous to look for one intentionally, but here he was, doing exactly that.

He woke up slowly, sitting up on his bed. Across the room, ______ was still sleeping in her usual way, no sign of waking up anytime soon. He just smiled before calling out to her. “______,” he began. “Wake up, love. We have to go Lethifold-searching.”

______ let out a small grunt, and Newt just shook his head, the smile still on his face. That was what she always did when she didn’t want to get up. They both hadn’t gone to sleep early that night - ______ was worried about what would happen. After all, Newt said Lethifold’s attack at night, and ______ knew they were targeting Muggles, so she was terrified. Newt told her to go to sleep and he’d watch over her, but neither of them ended up getting much sleep.

______ turned around in the bed, opening her eyes slowly and looking at Newt. “Just a few more minutes?” she asked, giving him the sweetest expression and eyes she could manage. “Then I’ll get up and we’ll go searching for the Lethifold.”

Newt took one look in her eyes and knew he couldn’t say no. Even after all this time, every time ______ asked him a question with that _look_ in her eyes, he could never bring himself to say no. It was his weakness, and by this point, ______ figured it out. “Okay,” he told her. “I’m going to go get changed then. Just five minutes, you got it?”

“Mhm,” she hummed, already snuggling herself back into bed. Newt leaned down, kissing her temple gently.

“Love you,” he whispered, getting his case out and pulling clean clothes out. He changed into a nearly identical outfit, the only change being his pants, going from dark-blue to light-brown. Newt looked over at the clock they had in the room and checked the time. _Maybe I’ll make sure Tina and Queenie are awake before I wake her,_ he thought, heading out of the room.

As soon as he walked out the doors, he heard Tina and Queenie’s voices, both coming from the kitchen. He didn’t really like to eavesdrop before he heard something that caught his attention: ______’s name.

“Queenie, I just don’t think bringing ______ is a good idea,” Newt heard Tina’s voice. “You heard the reports as well as I did. They’re targeting no-majs and anything relating to them, and I don’t think it would be very safe to bring her with us.”

“Well, we can’t really leave her here, can we?” Queenie responded, speaking in the sweet tone she always used with her sister. “Wouldn’t that be even more dangerous? We shouldn’t leave her alone at a time like this.”

“You heard Newt, these things only attack at night. She’d be fine staying here during the day, and we’d be home before nightfall anyways.”

Newt walked into the kitchen, interceding in the conversation. “I don’t think leaving ______ is a good idea at all,” he told them, catching both of their attentions. “It’s not just that she’s at a higher risk for being a Muggle. Trust me – I know ______. She wouldn’t just sit around and do nothing while we’re out there. She could go looking for us, which is even more dangerous. Plus, it’s not just that…” Newt trailed off. “She’s pretty scared of being targeted. I don’t want to leave her alone at a time like this.”

Tina kept eye contact with Newt for a few seconds before he looked away, his eyes going towards the walls. He’d gotten better with speaking up and eye contact, but mostly it was just with ______. With other people, he was still the exact way he had been months before.

“I’m just trying to look out for her safety, Newt. I don’t think these things are acting of their own accordance: beasts don’t target no-majs. This thing is, it’s not acting normally. I don’t want to risk someone targeting her specifically.”

“One more reason she shouldn’t be alone,” Newt told them. “I’m not going to leave her here alone, Tina. I’m sorry. I’m going to go wake her up.”

As Newt walked away, he left the two girls speechless, exchanging looks with each other he was sure said _something,_ but he didn’t stick around to find out. When he walked into the room again, he caught ______ just as she was finishing putting on her top. “Good morning Newton,” she said with a smile, kissing him on the cheek when he was close enough. “You didn’t wake me up after five minutes.”

“I was just talking to Tina and Queenie, guess I lost track of the time,” he told her. “I was just about to wake you.”

“Beat you to it.” She teased him. “Where are we going to go today to look for this Lethifold?”

“I think that’s something we should all discuss, come on,” Newt told her, reaching his hand out to her. She took it, immediately intertwining her fingers with his. They walked out of the shared room and back into the kitchen where the two sisters had begun to talk normally again.

As soon as Tina saw the two of them walk into the room, she stood a little straighter. “I think I know who we should go to first for information,” Tina began. Newt could tell by her tone that it wasn’t somewhere that he was going to like. His fears were confirmed when she continued. “The Blind Pig.”

“Are you sure?” Newt asked, his tone suspicious. “Last time I was there, they tipped off MACUSA and nearly got us all arrested.”

______ remembered Newt telling her that story. The man running the bar (or, rather _goblin_ she believed) had tried buying Pickett off of Newt and then gotten them all chased down.

“It’s where we need to go for information,” Tina told him. “And this time, we can just use money. No offering any of your beasts. We’ll play it safe.”

Newt hesitated. The information they got was good – the situation was not. His other worries were for ______, but last time when they went, they didn’t catch Jacob. So ______ should be safe there too, right?

He just wanted this all to get over with so he could have a nice vacation.

“Alright, we should go then,” Newt muttered, then turned to ______. “Do you want to change? They dress pretty high-end in that place.”

______ smiled, squeezing his hand. “I have one of my self-ironing robes you bought me,” ______ told him, her tone elated. “I’ll go put it on.”

As she disappeared down the hall, Queenie couldn’t help but smile at how happy she seemed to be. “You got her a self-ironing robe?” she asked, looking at Newt. “That’s sweet.”

“I got one for her during Christmas,” he began, beginning to scratch the back of his head as a faint hue of red crept onto his face. “And then I may have gotten her one or two more here and there.”

______ came back into the kitchen minutes later, wearing the one that Newt got her in her favorite color. “Sorry for the hold up,” she told them. “I’m ready when everyone else is.”

“Remember where it is?” Tina asked Newt. “We’ll get there quicker if we apparate.”

Newt only nodded, and ______ took his hand, embracing herself. She’d gotten better at it, you’d never be able to tell she used to get sick seconds after apparating. With a swish of everyone’s wand, they were thrown into the familiar sensation of feeling on a high-speed roller-coaster without any safety precautions, what used to be the _worst_ feeling for ______.

Now she was used to this kind of thing. It was nice to think about, that she had gotten so close to Newt and so used to the magic in her life that this was no problem. This was life for her now, and she couldn’t be happier about it.

The sensation ceased as the feeling of spinning went away, and ______ looked at what just looked like an ordinary wall. As Tina knocked on the brick, the eyes of the woman painted on it moved, and there was a confirming look on her face. The next second, the brick was moving out of the way and they all began to go through as if it was nothing. ______ smiled at the small example of magic, it reminded her of where Newt took her a while back, Diagon Alley.

Getting inside, ______ couldn’t help but look around at the magical bar. There was someone singing a jazzy tune, and drinks flying around to people. Newt looked over at her, then took her hand. “Stay by me, okay? I don’t want anyone suspecting you of anything.”

“Alright,” ______ nodded, and they headed over to a boot, the four of them squeezing into one end. Soon after they sat, a goblin came over to them, sitting across from the group. “Miss Goldstein, I didn’t think I’d see you back here after what happened.”

“I’m here for information,” she told him in a business tone. “Tell me, what do you know about the incidents that have been happening?”

“The no-maj slaughtering that’s been going on?” he asked with a smug smile. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. What do you have to offer?”

Tine, Queenie and Newt exchanged looks, and they each pulled out something different. Tina and Queenie offered up American currency as Newt pulled out what ______ recognized to be sickles by the dozen, scooting it across the table towards him. The goblin looked from the money to them. “This is all you have to offer?” he asked, trying to get more.

“It’s that or no deal,” Queenie told him flatly. “There’s plenty of people we could go to who would offer us information for a lower price, we didn’t have to come here. It’s this or no deal.”

The goblin pondered his options for a moment, seeing if Queenie was bluffing. He looked at the groups faces, and his eyes stopped as they hit ______. “You’re a new face,” he said matter-of-factly, then narrowed his eyes. There was something off about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. ______ just sat there as he studied her, too worried to say anything, and Newt put his free hand over the pocket he had that concealed his wand. He hated the way he was looking at ______, as if he could see right through her.

Little did he know, he _could_ see right through her.

“You’re not magic,” he said, his eyes widening. He pushed the money away from him and back towards them, the first time Tina has seen fear stricken on the hustler’s face. “Get out of here! We don’t want you here, we don’t want you attracting the…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Leave, or I’ll contact MACUSA.”

Newt didn’t need him to say anything more, and pulled out his wand at the speed of light. “Sorry Tina,” he turned his face towards her. “I’ll be back at your place.” Still holding ______’s hand, he flicked his wand and disappeared.

Tina just stared at where he once was for a moment before turning back to the goblin. “You were genuinely scared. What do you know?”

“I’m not telling you anything now, Goldstein. You’re too close to the situation. Good luck finding someone else with information like mine,” he got up and walked away, and Tina just shook her head before taking their money back and looking at Queenie. “Let’s get out of here.”

Back at the Goldstein’s, Newt and ______ were sitting on the couch. “I didn’t even get a chance to speak,” she told him. “Not a single opportunity to defend myself. I just ruined it for us, didn’t I?”

Before Newt could reply, Tina and Queenie appeared in the room. “Yes, in fact, you did. He won’t give us anything now.”

“He was bluffing anyways, Tina. I don’t think he has anything we don’t know, you’re getting your information right from MACUSA. He shouldn’t know anything they don’t,” Newt defended her.

Tina just crossed her arms, looking at the pair of them. “Fine, okay. I thought that we could get a little more done today, but apparently we can’t.”

“It’s still early, we can go somewhere else for information. We can look for clues ourselves,” ______ proposed, trying to lighten the mood.

“I don’t want to, I’m not in an investigating mood anymore. Let’s call it a day, we’ll create a new plan and head out tomorrow,” Tina told them in a cold voice. “You two can do what you want. I have things I need to start reading.” She turned her heel and walked out of the room, leaving them alone with Queenie.

“She’s just a little upset about what happened, that’s all,” Queenie told them. “It’s just hard when we don’t know what we’re dealing with well, and the circumstances are already real. She doesn’t mean anything about it, don’t worry.”

“It’s fine Queenie, maybe you guys were right this morning,” ______ sighed.

“Don’t say that. You’re safer near us, and you can help us, even if you don’t realize it yet,” Newt reassured her, leaning towards her and kissing her forehead. “We’ll start again tomorrow, and everything will be fine.”

 _I hope that’s really the case,_ ______ thought. _Something just doesn’t seem right._


	8. 8

**Two Days Earlier…**

The next morning, there was tension in the air on a level Newt was sure could’ve been lethal. It was apparent that Tina still wasn’t happy with what happened yesterday, but in her own mind, it was bigger than the rest of them could understand. She wasn’t mad at Newt, Queenie, or even _______. She was mad at herself.

Tina was mad at the way she acted. Not just now, but for a while. She knew she wasn’t the most open-hearted kind of person. She wasn’t like her sister; she didn’t wear her heart on her sleeve. She wasn’t as brave as her sister when it came to emotional affairs. Tina bottled up everything, and always ended up showing the wrong emotion. She knew it didn’t make her look good, but she couldn’t help it.

She regretted telling Newt right away that ______ should be obliviated all those months ago. She was selfish, she was upset. It was about more than just Newt; it was about her sister. It was about Queenie. Why should Newt be allowed to be happy with his Muggle girlfriend and Queenie was forced to obliviate Jacob? How is that fair? Of course, that’s not what she came off as. She never came off the way she wanted to.

The entire time ______ and Newt have been back in New York, Tina felt like she’s been impolite, like she’s been intruding. As if she was an unwanted guest at her own house. After she blew up on them yesterday, she had a sinking feeling that Newt and ______ were mad at her. That they didn’t like her, that they were here out of obligation. She was unfair to them yesterday, but she didn’t know how to apologize. Anything she said, it would sound forced, she knew it would.

So instead, she didn’t say a word. She couldn’t find the right ones to say. She decided to take a break today, she didn’t want to face them so soon again and work. They all needed a day off.

As they all ate at the breakfast table, Tina cleared her throat and got the attention of the others. “I think I’m going to go to work today, hold off on investigation for a while. You were right Newt; I’m getting my information right from MACUSA. I should go see if they have anything new, maybe discuss and we can find some leads. They’re working the same case as us, so we shouldn’t isolate ourselves.”

Newt, Queenie and ______ all exchanged glances. Queenie was the first to speak up. “You sure, Teeny? I mean, we can go out and do some more digging. It’s a new day, we can-”

“I’m sure, Queenie,” Tina cut her sister off. “MACUSA will probably have something we don’t. By the end of the night, I promise you, I’ll have something for us to work off of. We have something they don’t: Newt. An actual beast expert. They must have something good, but they don’t know it. We _will_ get to the bottom of this, or Apathy Syndrome is just going to get worse.”

 _Apathy Syndrome?_ Newt thought, finding the term strange. However, before he thought of it any further, ______ spoke. “If that’s what you really want to do, go ahead. Just don’t feel like you have to.”

“It’s okay guys, really. I’ll be home in time for dinner,” Tina assured them, standing up and grabbing her materials. “I’ll be off then,” she gave them a small smile before leaving the room, leaving the other three alone and having no idea to do with their free time. Queenie didn’t have work today, and Newt and ______ hadn’t really planned on anything yet. They had held off the plans they wanted to make to help Tina and Queenie with this case.

Trying to fill the silence, ______ turned to Queenie. “Where do you usually go when you have free time like this, Queenie?” she asked, hoping to find some ideas for the three of them to do today. ______ didn’t want to just stay in the house all day, but the other things she wanted to do, she wanted to do with Newt alone. She didn’t want to just ask Queenie to stay here, so she was hoping Queenie had ideas of what do to.

Queenie thought for a moment before a huge smile spread across her face. Newt felt like he recognized that smile on her, like she had that same smile when he last saw her. Happy, elated with something specific on her mind. Before Newt could put two and two together, Queenie turned to face the two of them. “Well, there’s one thing, but you have to promise to keep quiet about it, okay? Tina can’t know, no one can know, Just between the three of us, alright?”

Newt instantly knew, or hoped he knew, what she had in mind. “What do you have in mind?” Newt asked, hoping what she said next would confirm his suspicion.

Queenie paused, biting her lip but never letting go of her smile. “I’ve been seeing Jacob on my days off. I go visit him at his bakery, but Tina doesn’t know and she can’t know, okay?”

Newt’s eyes widened. “Does Jacob remember anything?” he asked hopefully. “Or is he in the dark? Do you think he’d remember me?”

“He remembers almost everything!” Queenie told him happily. “He said that you told him once that the solution you provided only erases _bad_ memories of magic, and a lot of his memories were good ones. He remembers you, Newt. He remembers all of us.”

“That’s fantastic!” ______ exclaimed, happy just from listening to all of this. She didn’t know Jacob personally, but she almost felt like she did. Newt spoke about him, and Queenie was in love with him. Jacob sounded like someone amazing. Someone else who knew about Newt’s case –another Muggle. She wasn’t the only one, but that didn’t make her upset or anything silly like that. She wanted to meet Jacob, some other Muggle to talk about everything she’s seen with.

She had a strong feeling that she and Jacob would be good friends.

“Can we go see him?” ______ asked Queenie hopefully, and Newt looked hopeful too. He considered Jacob one of his only friends, and he always had a secret hope that Jacob beat the odds and remembered him. Now knowing it was true, he wanted to see him again. A reunion with an old friend.

Queenie glanced at the clock. “He should be open, we can go see him right now,” she told him. She stood up quickly, as did ______ and Newt. Newt grabbed his case and Queenie led them out of the apartment, down to the streets of New York below. They walked briskly, wasting no time. Queenie wanted to visit him for the first time in a week and Newt was ready to greet a friend he thought he had lost.

After walking for what had to have been about half an hour, they ended up in front of a bakery, and Newt smiled standing in front of it. He was proud of his decision of leaving the eggshells with Jacob, Newt knew he was made for something bigger than a canning factory. He was wasting away in there, Jacob told him so. Newt was just happy Jacob lived to the potential Newt knew he had.

Walking into the bakery, ______ looked around and recognized the pastries designs right away: they were beasts. Jacob was making goods in the shape of all sorts of beasts found in Newt’s case, and she couldn’t help but smile about that. Newt talked about Jacob like someone would talk about their best friend, but she could always tell that Newt was down, all because he thought Jacob forgot about him. But here and now, this was proof that Jacob never did. In the midst of her thinking and looking around the shop, ______ heard a voice ring from behind her.

“Queenie? Newt?” a male voice rang out, and all three of them turned to the person who spoke their names: the person ______ assumed was Jacob. He didn’t even look twice at her, she didn’t expect him to, he had no idea who she was. Jacob walked right up to Newt and Queenie, but embraced Queenie and kissed her quick before looking at Newt. Even though Newt was a little more used to affection now, he hadn’t gotten used to watching other peoples’ PDA. He was looking away, glancing at ______ before Jacob pulled his attention back towards him. “Newt, it’s good to see you. I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance again.”

“Funny how things work out, isn’t it?” Newt asked with a smile, making brief eye-contact. ______ smiled, he was beginning to remind her of when they first met. The same awkward disposition, not wanting to make eye contact, finding other places to look. She always noticed with Newt he always looked at her lips, she picked that up after a few days but never thought anything much of it. Not until she noticed it was only the lips for her, but not anyone else. It made her feel as special as Newt always told her she was.

“Well, is there anything new with you? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, surely you’ve done something in that amazing little life of yours.” Jacob smiled at him. They really did talk like old pals, like they ad known each other for forever.

Newt’s eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face as he remembered one thing: Jacob and ______ have never met. She knew about him, but he had no idea she existed. “n fact, there is,” Newt told him, then looked over and gestured towards ______ to come over to the rest of them.

All eyes were on ______ as she walked over towards Newt, standing next to him and smiling as he took her hand. Newt just looked towards Jacob, as if telling ______ to introduce herself. She got the hint and began to speak, “Hello, my name is ______ ______. I’m Newt’s girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you.”

Jacob stared at her, looking from her to Newt. “A looker like you with Newt? Lucky man,” Jacob smiled at her, and Queenie playfully pushed on his shoulder. He looked at the two of them, and then back at ______. “So are you a… um…”

“Witch?” ______ finished his question for him. “No, I’m not. Ordinary person here, unfortunately.”

“Don’t say that, being ordinary has its perks. You don’t have to keep your talents hidden all the time and live in hiding.”

“That’s… actually very valid,” ______ said, looking over at Newt. If anyone were to find out that he was actually a wizard, ______ wouldn’t put it past ordinary people to put him in a lab and study him, or start some kind of war between wizards and muggles.

They stayed in the shop for hours, talking about everything, catching up on each other’s lives. Getting close to when Queenie planned on leaving, Jacob and ______ stood alone, talking to themselves as Queenie and Newt were trying to assess what school was really better: Hogwarts or Ilvermorny. It was a humorous but intense debate, and Jacob and ______ didn’t understand half of it. Jacob looked from the two of them to ______. “They’re really passionate about this, aren’t they? Is it really that important?”

“I think Newt takes a of of pride in Hogwarts,” ______ said. “I don’t blame him. It’s a beautiful school.”

“You talk about it as if you’ve been there,” Jacob pointed out light-heartedly.

“Oh, but I have. I almost got caught by a student, then we were _actually_ caught by a teacher. Well, the headmaster, to be exact.”

Jacob just stared at her, eyes filled with fascination. “Why does that not surprise me? It seems like wherever Newt goes, adventure follows.”

“I know,” ______ smiled at him. “Isn’t that amazing?”

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Jacob told her. “You two make quite the pair. I didn’t mean what I said earlier, just so you know. Well, I meant what I said about you being a looker. I hope you took that as a compliment, but about Newt. He’s a lucky man, you two deserve each other fully.”

“Well, someone has to keep him out of trouble, or at least join him in it.”

Queenie and Newt were now looking over at the two of them. “Ready to go, ______?” newt called out, grabbing her attention. “I hate to leave, but we should probably start heading back. We should get there before Tina, don’t want to worry her.”

“Oh, of course,” ______ said, getting up from her seat. “it was nice meeting you, Jacob.”

“It was nice to meet you too,” he told her. “Be careful out there. You never know what to expect, travelling with that one,” he gestured towards Newt.

“Don’t worry,” Newt told him, putting an arm around ______. “I’m keeping her safe.”

Queenie and Jacob said their good-byes, and just like that, they were out of here and heading back to their place. ______ and Queenie made newt go inside his case on the way up, since men were still not technically allowed on the premises.

Walking into the apartment, Queenie’s face drained of color when she saw Tina standing around the dinner table, dinner made and a slightly sad expression on her face. She turned to Queenie and ______, a surprised look on her face. “Where were you guys?” she asked.

“Tina! I didn’t expect you to be home so early, so we just ran out and about for a while. Newt and ______ did come here to do more than investigate, so we spent the day around the town,” Queenie told her.

“Where’s Newt?”

“In here,” ______ gestured to the case. She put it on the floor and gently knocked, Newt’s head soon poking out, meeting Tina’s eyes.

“Oh, Tina. How nice to see you,” he told her with a half-smile.

She just sighed. “I made dinner while waiting for you guys. It should still be hot. Are you guys hungry?”

To be honest, they had eaten at Jacob’s shop, but ______ wasn’t about to tell Tina that. “Yeah, dinner sounds great,” she told her with a smile. She felt slightly bad, they were all lying to Tina about where they had been. ______ didn’t want to take it further and deny something Tina had prepared for all of them. She had looked upset when she came in, as if she was upset about being left out.

Newt crawled out of the case, and soon, all of them were sitting around the table and eating. Trying not to overeat, ______ ate as much as she could without feeling sick. Silence filled the air until Tina spoke. “MACUSA found a lead. They recognized a pattern and they think they know where and when the beast will attack next. I told them that I would look into it and observe the situation.”

“Observe?” Newt asked, raising an eyebrow. Is that all they were really going to do right now?

“That’s all they want me to do, and on paper, that’s al I will do. MACUSA is willing to let one more no-maj to suffer to see if they’re right, and I don’t want to do that. I say we stake it out tomorrow night and catch this thing. Are you guys in?”

Newt smiled. _That’s_ the Tina he knew. The one who will do the right thing, even if it’s against the company policy. Just like she did with Credence.

“I’m in,” Newt told her. “Catching a Lethifold: that’s a new challenge.”


	9. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time, no update! I was having a huge amount of trouble getting back into this account, but I'm back! I have been writing while I was away, so you're going to get a bunch of updates all at once (that is, if anyone still reads this...). Anyways, onto the story!

**The Day Before…**

The say dragged on as Tina went to work and the three of them were left at home, waiting. The plan was to head to the site as soon as Tina got home. Something about the day made them all want to stay in. Even knowing that they usually hunt at night and having an idea where they could be, something didn’t feel safe about going out. There was something wicked hanging in the air, and they could all feel it. Queenie was pacing, she had some thoughts floating around in her head that just would not leave her alone. About half an hour before Tina was supposed to get home, Queenie finally spoke her mind.

She had been in the kitchen, stress-baking as she thought about what she wanted to do. ______ and Newt sat on the couch, ______ laying across Newt’s lap as she looked up at him and they talked. Technically, the way they were sitting was ‘improper,’ something ______ was sure Tina was going to point out when she got home, but they didn’t care. This is how they acted at home, and this was their vacation. They were going to act as they pleased. Queenie walked into the living room and walked in front of the couch, catching their attention. ______ sat up straight and looked at her, she had a serious expression on her face. “I can’t go with you guys,” she told them, concern on her face.

“What?” Newt asked, surprised. “Why not?”

“I would, I really would… but something keeps bothering me. Something about this night just doesn’t feel right, and knowing what kind of people they keep targeting…”

Queenie trailed off, but ______ knew what she was trying to say loud and clear. “You’re worried for Jacob,” ______ said matter-of-factly.

“I can’t help but be. The area isn’t close to his shop, but I’m still worried. It didn’t bother me so much up until now, but I want to be near him. Newt said the only way to defend against these is a patronus, and that’s something Jacob doesn’t have. I want to be there to protect him, even if nothing happens…” Queenie trailed off. “It just keeps bothering me.”

Newt was silent for a moment before speaking. “You should probably go now then,” Newt told her. “We’ll be heading out in a while. What do you want me to tell Tina?”

A faint smile appeared on Queenie’s face. “Just tell her… tell her that I couldn’t handle going out tonight and that I want to be alone. She’ll understand. If not… tell her it’s about Jacob.”

“Won’t she suspect then?” ______ asked.

“Maybe, but probably not. She’ll understand though… she knows that I still think about him all the time. I know she does, and she feels guilty, but she really shouldn’t. It’s my choice to keep this from her…” Queenie shook her head. “I already said too much. I’ll get going.”

Queenie took out her wand, and with a _swish,_ she was gone. ______ looked over at Newt. “I don’t blame her,” she told him. “She loves him, of course she would want to be with him.”

“I know that,” Newt told her with a smile. “After all, I wouldn’t be going through with this if I didn’t think I could keep you safe. I’m doing this for you, to keep you safe. Can’t have Lethifolds flying around and ruining our vacation. I’d do anything for you.”

Looking into Newt’s eyes at that moment, ______ saw something she hadn’t seen for a while. She saw vulnerability. Newt was nervous about this, she could tell, and she was too. She’d be lying if she said that she was brave enough to face all of this, but she had to. She knew she could do it if Newt was by her side, and it was the same for him.

“I love you,” she told him. “I love you more than anything.” She leaned towards him, kissing him. As he put his hands on her waist and she put her hands on his shoulders, he leaned over her, pressing her down and flat onto the couch.

That’s when Tina walked in.

“Really? On my own couch?”

Newt’s lips left ______’s as he sat up straight and looked at Tina. His face was flushed a deep red, and Tina just sighed. Meanwhile, ______ sat up slowly, not looking over at Tina. “Sorry,” Newt mumbled, looking away from her.

Tina just shook her head and looked around the apartment. “Where’s Queenie?” she asked after a minute. “We need to get going.”

Newt and ______ exchanged glances and ______ was the one who spoke first. “She… left. She said that she wants to be alone, she just couldn’t handle going out tonight?”

“Why?” Tina asked, but after thinking about it, her face changed as she answered her own question in her head. “Oh…” she whispered, trailing off. “Well, I guess it’s just the three of us then. We should get going.”

Just like that, Tina didn’t need them to expand on why Queenie wouldn’t be able to handle going out tonight. She knew what it was about, and deep inside, she expected it. At least ______ knew about the situation and Newt was around to protect her, but it wasn’t the same for Jacob. Tina felt like something such as this would happen.

Walking down the streets, everything seemed still and quiet. The streets in New York were a different place at night. Ever since Apathy Syndrome started getting noticed, people stayed in their homes at night. Although no one knew what was causing it, they did still fear that it would happen to them, a risk no one wanted to take.

They were heading towards a quiet neighborhood next to a little park. The pattern showed that it was going for mostly no-maj filled neighborhoods, and the trend had been heading in this direction. It made sense that it would be here. Everything fit – including the time frame. The sun was beginning to go down, and that’s always when the majority of the attacks happened.

Everything was falling into place. They had a plan.

Sadly, they had no idea what to expect. They didn’t know what was coming. Newt didn’t realize his mistake before it was too late – he didn’t realize what Apathy Syndrome really meant until he saw the creatures and realized he made a grave mistake.

They came out of the shadows. They looked like shadows themselves. They appeared out of the tubes and tunnels in and next to the park – Newt even thought he saw one come out of a sewer. It was the atmosphere that made Newt realize he was wrong. Suddenly, it was as if all happiness drained from his body, and the air was cold.

They were dealing with _dementors._ Something that ______ or any other muggle wouldn’t be able to see.

Newt’s eyes widened. “We need to get out of here, I was wrong,” Newt told them, speaking softly. “Tina, I was wrong, we need to leave _now._ ”

Tina looked over at him. “I thought we were supposed to expect one Lethifold, not this many-”

“Those aren’t Lethifolds. Those are a fate worse than death. We need to leave before more show up, we can’t beat all of them, not this many.”

“What are you two talking about?” ______ asked softly. That’s when they all turned around, that’s what caught their attention: ______’s voice. The voice of a no-maj, a muggle, the ones they have been targeting.

The perfect victim. Someone who couldn’t see them.

They all started heading towards them. “Look out!” Tina yelled, and she and Newt drew their wands out. Newt reached out and grabbed ______’s hand, pulling her towards him. She let out a small scream as a flash of light went past her head, hitting a dementor. It was no use, as soon as they hit one, another came towards them.

“There’s too many of them,” Newt yelled towards Tina. “We need to get out of here!”

Tina tore her attention away from the dementors for a split second, and that’s when things went wrong. She looked at Newt, yelling back, “Where do you suggest-”

Suddenly she yelled, and a dementor grabbed her and started dragging her. “Tina!” ______ yelled. Since she couldn’t see the dementors, she couldn’t see what she was being dragged by, and that was the worst part. It was almost worse not seeing them, there was a fear of the unknown hanging in the air.

Newt looked towards the dementor dragging her away, aiming his wand carefully. As a light shot out of his wand, a thought crossed him: why were they going after Tina? She was a witch, were they simply defending themselves, or were they wrong about the pattern? Was everyone at risk?

Trapped in his thoughts by his questions, his heart dropped when he heard another scream and felt ______ leave his side. Newt looked over to see ______ being dragged by not just one, but _two_ dementors. It wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before. Right as he was about to call out for her, something grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Before he knew it, a dementor was floating above him, and Newt knew what was going to come next.

Tina got up, feeling likehell. Her head was spinning, and she didn’t have much energy left in her. Something about these creatures were draining her. She looked at what was happening, and a sinking feeling went through her. ______ was being dragged away, being surrounded by what looked like ten dementors. Meanwhile, Newt was being attacked by one too, and it was right over him. She had to do something.

She had to make a decision, and it was breaking her heart. She didn’t have much left in her, she knew what she had to choose. She couldn’t get that many off of ______ - but she could save Newt. It wasn’t too late for him.

Pointing her wand in his direction, her patronus appeared, and the dementor disappeared. She limped towards him, falling on the ground next to him. He was out cold, the dementor had been looming over him and doing something. She hoped it wasn’t too late for him, and she looked over at ______.

She couldn’t even see her anymore in the black mass of dementors. She was too far gone; it was a battle Tina knew she couldn’t fight. Tears gathered in her eyes as she whispered, “I’m so sorry.” With a flick of her wand, she apparated somewhere Newt could get care: MACUSA.

It was only then she realized his case was missing, but it was too late. She knew it was risky bringing him there, but she had to. It was the only place she knew they could treat him. They’d put him in a cell, but she didn’t care. He needed help. He needed to be saved.

She knew what she did. She didn’t know what she was going to do, what she would tell him. It ws too late to save ______, but he wouldn’t give up. Not like Tina did. She thought of something. Something horrible, but it needed to happen. If not, Newt would never stop looking for her. He would never give up. He could get himself into trouble and get even worse – he’d get Apathy Syndrome and he’d be gone forever.

He needed to think that ______ was imaginary.


	10. 10

**Present Day.**

Tina was sobbing harder than Queenie had ever seen her by the time she was finished telling the story. Queenie wanted to know everything, and now she felt like she knew too much. The entire situation was overwhelming. Queenie had no idea what to say or how to comfort her. It was beyond words.

Tina wasn’t done speaking. “You know what the worst part of it all is?” she asked, her voice wavering. “I haven’t been able to find ______ anywhere. Usually it’s easy to find the ones with Apathy Syndrome, they’re so obviously empty, and they’re always left at the scene of the crime, but not her. I can’t find her anywhere. Even if newt did remember, there isn’t anything I could tell him. ______ is missing, his case is missing, and he can’t remember anything.”

“It’s not your fault, honey,” Queenie reassured her. “You had just been attacked. If you had tried saving ______, they would both be lost. She was too far gone – they wanted her, and they got her.”

“Newt wouldn’t understand. Don’t you see Queenie? Either way I choose I cannot win. If I tell Newt the truth, he’ll be heartbroken. He’ll never forgive himself, he took her there with him, he wanted to protect her. It isn’t his fault, but he’ll think it is. She was taken from right next to him. He _loved_ her, Queenie. He loved her more than I’ve ever seen anyone love a person. I don’t care if he never forgives me, not really. I do care that he’ll never let himself off the hook.”

“You can’t keep lying to him, Tina,” Queenie began. “I know it’s hard, and you’re right. There’s no way for this to turn out well. However, he has a right to know, Tina. If you don’t, Newt and everyone else will question his sanity. Think about it. He’s talking about someone who we’re saying doesn’t exist, and he’s bound to have some very clear memories of her. How long until he breaks and thinks that his sanity over the past months has been broken?”

Tina looked over at her with wet eyes. “Are you going to tell him?”

Queenie shook her head. “No, I won’t tell him. I’ll leave it up to you to decide Tina, I trust you to make the right decision. Just… think a little more about it, okay? It’s not just about him, either. You’re erasing memories of ______, making her nothing more than a fantasy, but she was real. She deserves to be remembered, doesn’t she?”

Tina didn’t say anything, she just sighed. She knew was the right thing to do was, but it was going to be so hard. Hard to explain, but harder to see. She would have to look Newt in the eyes and tell him that the woman he loved was missing – taken by dementors. She didn’t know if she could do it.

“So, what are you going to tell him?” Queenie asked, seeing the far-off look in Tina’s eyes.

She paused. There was silence before she spoke, “The truth.”

She would tell him first thing tomorrow. Wake him up and tell him everything, explain everything to MACUSA. She could lose her job for lying, and she could lose her friendship with Newt, but that didn’t matter. Queenie was right, neither of them deserved this.

However, there was already someone on their way to do exactly that. He came from across the sea, and he was looking for Newt. He already knew the story; he already knew the truth. It was amazing how fast words could travel in the wizarding world.

Dumbledore stood in front of the MACUSA building, knowing what he needed to do. He needed Newt’s help, and Newt needed his. This was an emergency, and no American wizard facility was going to stop him.


	11. 11

“I’m sorry sir, but we’re really not accepting any guests right now,” Abernathy told the British wizard. Someone had come to visit Scamander – something he didn’t expect. He was convinced that the young wizard didn’t have any friends or relatives close to him, yet barely a day after he’s brought in here, someone is asking to see him. He found the entire situation a bit too uneasy to take lightly.

“Oh, I’ll only be a minute,” Dumbledore assured him. This was nothing to him, he was confident in his abilities to get Newt out of here. The only hassle was finding where he was.

Abernathy raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. He definitely was getting a bad vibe from him. Something about the situation just didn’t make sense, but he was in no place to start making accusations. “How do you know Mister Scamander?” he asked. Maybe, just maybe, he could get some useful information out of this man.

“He’s a former student of mine, and he’s recently been published. I was very proud of him; I always knew he had potential. Anyways, when his name popped into the system over there, I was a little worried what happened to him. I was his emergency contact, he’s not very close to his family. Are you sure I cannot see him?”

Abernathy paused. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Albus Dumbledore,” he smiled patiently.

A bell went off in Abernathy’s head. He recognized the name – Newt had named him earlier when he was talking about the mysterious ______. He had told them that Albus Dumbledore could vouch for her. Taking a stab in the dark, Abernathy asked, “Have you ever met a ______, or met a woman named ______ who was around Mister Scamander? He was out cold when we brought him here, and he’s suffering from a little amnesia, along with a vision of a woman named ______. Does the name ring a bell?”

“I can’t say that it does,” Dumbledore told him. “The state he’s in, I’m sure he’ll remember everything promptly. Do you know what it was that attacked him?”

“Sorry, that’s classified,” Abernathy shut Dumbledore down. MACUSA was trying everything it could to keep the stories of Apathy Syndrome from leaking out and terrifying the rest of the wizarding community – they didn’t need the fear of Dementors added to that. They still had no idea why they were here, and how they got there.no way was he going to tell anything to some old teacher.

“I understand,” Dumbledore nodded. “So – can I see him?”

Abernathy sighed. “I suppose it can’t do any harm. Maybe you can talk some sense into him, get him to talk about anything other than ______. He won’t leave that alone – he’s a desperate man.”

“I’ll try my best,” Dumbledore assured him as they started walking along the halls and going to the cells where they had Newt locked up. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but he didn’t want to turn him away. After al, he came all this way, and considerably fast. He must have paid good money to check up on Newt – they seemed close.

Newt looked up to the slightest sound that came down the hall. He kept hoping that someone would come through to let him out. He thought about trying to go to sleep, but there were too many thoughts keeping him awake. The more he focused on trying to remember, the more impossible the task began to feel. He had nothing to do and no one to turn to – he was helpless. That’s why the sight of _anyone_ would cheer him up right now – he needed someone to assure him that he wasn’t losing it.

And although seeing anyone would cheer him up, he just happened to have enough luck that the person walking down the hall for was _Albus Dumbledore._

“Dumbledore!” Newt stood up right away, looking through the bars of his small cell and into Dumbledore’s eyes. “I’ve never been happier to see you.”

Dumbledore gave him a knowing and patient smile. “Why is it every time I seem to run into you, you’re in some kind of trouble?” he asked.

Newt’s eyes widened. Maybe it was a reach in the dark, but that sentence had to mean something. Newt had a feeling Dumbledore wasn’t just talking about the beast scandal at school – but what happened last time too. When he caught Newt and ______ in the headmaster’s office and stunned him, allowing for the two of them to escape. “You remember her then?” Newt asked hopefully. “You know ______?”

Dumbledore sighed, looking over at Abernathy. “Do you mind if I have a word with him in private?” he asked. “I think maybe I can get through to him if I can talk to him one-on-one. Any chance you can let me in there with him?”

Abernathy crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “I can let you in there, but I cannot allow you to be alone with him. I’m sorry, standard procedure.”

 _I was afraid he’d say that,_ Dumbledore thought to himself. He sighed internally, he was really hoping he wouldn’t have to resort to the part of his plan he was about to, but it looked like he didn’t have any other choice. “Ah, of course. I’m sorry, I don’t think I ever caught your name.”

“Abernathy,” he spoke, straightening his posture. He wanted to look professional as possible. It was getting late, and Abernathy would rather be at home than here given the chance, but he was stuck here. Given orders to “watch the prisoner.” To be honest, in his current state they were more worried about him hurting himself rather than others. He didn’t seem to be in his right mind. “I appreciate you’re staying, and it’s been a long journey. Any chance you can get us something to drink?”

Abernathy shook his head a little hesitantly. “I really can’t leave you alone with him.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him, you have my word. I just want to talk to him, and I’ve come a very long way.” Dumbledore tried assuring Abernathy in the nicest, most trusting voice he could muster. All he needed was just a minute or two alone with Newt.

It was getting late, and the older wizard did have a point. He came a long way, he seemed trustworthy, and his credentials seemed to fit. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard Albus Dumbledore’s name. Even before interviewing Newt, Abernathy had heard his name somewhere. “Alright, I’ll be right back. Just… don’t cause a commotion and don’t tell anyone I allowed this.”

“Of course,” Dumbledore nodded in agreement as Abernathy walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Dumbledore turned his full attention onto Newt. “Listen Newt, we don’t have much time, so I need you to let me talk.”

“No one will tell me what has happened, and they keep telling me ______ isn’t real,” Newt told him, ignoring his instruction. “Please just tell me that you remember-”

“Yes, I do. I remember her, but Newt, you need to let me talk. It seems to me you’ve lost your memory, and I will tell you everything as far as I now, but you need to get out of here first. They’re charging you for a crime you didn’t commit, and as soon as you give them the information they need, they’ll punish you without a trial. Now, I need your help finding out what’s going on here, and I can’t get that when you’re in here, so follow my lead.”

Newt nodded and Abernathy headed back into the room carrying two cups of coffee. The smell filled the air as he handed one to Dumbledore. Newt wasn’t even paying attention because he had one thought on his mind:

_______ was alive._

They had been lying to him. _Tina_ had been lying to him, and that’s the part that really caught him off guard. Tina always did what she thought was right, he knew she wouldn’t lie to him without a reason. What reason was good enough to lie to him about something like this?

Bad thoughts ran through his mind.

A _thud_ snapped Newt out of his thoughts, and he saw Abernathy fast asleep on the floor. He looked from Abernathy to Dumbledore. “What… how did you…” Newt trailed off.

“I offered him some sugar that had been doused in a sleeping draught. It does the trick. Now, let’s get you out of that cell.”

Dumbledore raised his wand at the lock and mumbled a spell, and the door flew open. Newt came out as fast as possible and followed Dumbledore as they began to sneak out and through the halls of the MACUSA building. It was late at night, but there were still many people hanging around since there was a crisis in motion. It took them all of ten minutes to get out of there, and the entire time dead silent. Newt had so many questions, so the second they got out of the building and out of sight, he started barraging Dumbledore with all of them.

“What happened? How do you know? Where’s ______ gone?” Newt asked all at once.

Dumbledore took a deep breath. “I don’t understand why you don’t remember Newt, but you were hunting dementors things went wrong. You were attacked, and you and your friend Tina barely made it out with your lives.”

“What about ______?” Newt asked. Dumbledore was silent. “Please tell me what happened, where’s ______? I won’t help you until I know what’s happened to her.”

Dumbledore hesitated. “My witness said that she was taken. That she was surrounded, and instead of attacking her, she was simply knocked out, unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard of before. Then someone came and took her. She’s alive, but I don’t know if she’s hurt or where she is, but I have reason to believe whoever took ______ is behind all of this.”

“How can someone be behind dementor attacks?”

“That’s what I intend to find out. MACUSA has been calling what has happened Apathy Syndrome, but it’s something else.”

Newt searched his memory, and as Dumbledore spoke about what happened, images began coming back to him. Just faint images, but he began to remember. He remembered getting attacked and Tina saving him, and he remembered ______ being attacked just before he was out cold.

“What about ______? Why didn’t your _witness_ try to help?”

“They couldn’t, they’re a squib. They couldn’t have helped if they tried. Newt, if we find ______, we could find who did this and put this to and end. So I’ll ask this: will you help me?”

Newt thought about it, but there wasn’t much to think about. He would do anything to find ______. He told her he’s protect her, and now she’s been kidnapped and his case is gone. Whoever is doing this wanted her for whatever reason, and he will do anything to find her.

“Yes.”


	12. 12

Even as Newt agreed to help Dumbledore find whoever did this, he still had so many questions running around in his mind. He planned to ask them all, but he knew now was not the time or the place. Abernathy was going to wake up sometime, and as soon as he did, he would alert MACUSA and Newt would be a fugitive for the second time in the United States. _Why can’t I ever have one normal vacation?_

Dumbledore seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because the next moment, he spoke, “We need to get away from here now. It’s not very good for a fugitive to be standing around the place he’s wanted.”

“Yes, of course,” Newt muttered, looking away from Dumbledore. His shyness and humility seemed to come back all at once. ______ usually made him feel comfortable, as if he could say anything and it wouldn’t go wrong. With her gone, the opposite seemed to be true. He missed her more every minute, and he wanted to get her back as soon as possible. She _had_ to be safe, right?

Newt hoped desperately that she was.

Dumbledore had been staying in a quiet part of one of the lesser-known wizard districts in New York, a part inaccessible to Muggles. The whole place would move to reveal homes, but no Muggle batted an eye at it. Newt followed him there, entering the home and feeling the temperature different. It wasn’t a traditional ‘hot summer night,’ the air was chilly and a warm place to walk into was like feeling a blanket envelop his senses.

The room they stayed in wasn’t very large – everything fit into one room. The bed, couch, kitchen, and even a small living space. The only thing that was separate was a bathroom, something Newt was grateful for. Newt didn’t even wait for Dumbledore to settle down before he started asking one of the many questions on his mind.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand about all of this, why did the Dementors stop attacking ______ and just take her?” Newt inquired. “Why would someone do that? These Dementors have been attacking Muggles without mercy, but when it came to ______, they simply knocked her out.”

“Consider this,” Dumbledore began. “According to MACUSA, your case is also missing, correct?”

Newt’s heart sank as he was reminded the two things he loves the most were both taken from his. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“The two can’t be unrelated. I suspect that whoever took ______ also took your case, meaning they at least have an idea of what’s inside it.”

“Why would they think she knew anything about it though? ______ is a Muggle, to them, there would be no reason for her to know the contents of that case.”

Dumbledore shrugged nonchalantly. “The only explanation I can think of is that they knew that she and the case were connected in some way. That wouldn’t be too surprising, considering I already suspect they knew what was in the case when they took it.”

That was an answer Newt could live with. Mostly because it gave him some assurance that ______ was still alive. If they needed her to figure out anything about the case, they would need her alive, right?

It was a shred of hope Newt planned to cling onto.

Newt still had more questions. “What made you come over here in the first place? There would have to be something very interesting about this case for you to make the trip over here.”

Dumbledore drew in a long breath. “I suspected that this was the work of Grindlewald at first and I wanted to come over and personally investigate. However, the very few eyewitness accounts I’ve been able to gather show that this is the work of another wizard.”

The answer set off an interest in Newt’s mind. “What accounts? What do they say?”

“How they attack Muggles, and the occasional wizard they’re seen. The descriptions vary some, but they all agree on a scar that doesn’t belong to Grindlewald.”

Newt’s heart sank. He had a fear in his mind, one he hoped was just a silly fear. “What scar?” he asked, his voice wavering.

“A scar across his face. They are described as claw marks from kind of accident. It’s the only thing all of the eyewitness accounts could agree on.”

Newt thought his heart would actually stop beating. It felt like a hummingbird’s heartbeat, but at the same time, it felt like it stopped moving all together.

 _It all made sense._ Why he knew what the case would contain. Why he took ______ with him. Why she wasn’t given the Dementor’s Kiss like the other victims. It all suddenly made a terrible amount of sense.

Dumbledore saw the look of shock and horror across the young author’s face and grew worried. “What is it, Newt? Do you know this man?”

Newt was too horrified to form a sentence. He just looked at Dumbledore with a blank stare before muttering the name of the wizard on his mind.

“Maverick.”


	13. 13

______ woke up in a room she didn’t recognize. She knew what the room was, of course, but she never remembered her being in it. The last thing she remembered was being on the ground, feeling like she was being attacked, but she couldn’t see anything. Her energy felt like it was being drained out of her, as if someone was physically taking out the happiness from her. Next thing she knew, there was a blinding, bright blue light. Her vision went dark, and the memory ended.

She looked around the room before looking down at herself. She looked like she was in a hospital bed, but this didn’t feel like a hospital room. It was empty except for the hospital bed, a curtain hiding something and a chair. She was laying on the bed, but there was nothing attached to her. No IV, no needles, no tubes. She was just laying in bed, wrapped in a thin blanket and wearing a hospital gown. _What is going on here?_

She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. Her legs felt like jelly for being down for so long, but she had no idea how long she’s actually been out for. A day? A few days? Once questions started filing her head, an important, pressing question dominated her mind.

Where was Newt?

“Newt?” She called out, wondering is anyone was there to hear her. “Newt? Are you there?” There was no answer. She looked around the room again, heading towards the curtain that seemed to be hiding something. She walked over and pulled the curtain quickly, surprised by what was behind it.

All that was behind it was a toilet and a small sink. Wherever she was, it seemed as though they expected her to be here for a while.

No way was _that_ happening. She wanted to get out of there as swiftly as possible.

She walked towards the only option she seemed to have: the door. There weren’t any windows in the room, and it only had a tiny vent on the ceiling. Even if she was desperate enough to try t go through the vents and somehow found a way to reach the ceiling, there was no fitting through _that_ tiny thing. Walking up to it, she grabbed the knob and gave it a try. The door was locked.

 _No luck,_ she thought, and panic began to fill her. Where was she? Why was she locked in here? Where was Newt? She tried the knob again, even knowing it wouldn’t work, and shook it as hard as she could. Who was keeping her here? “Let me out!” she began to shout. “Let me out right now!” As she shouted, she began kicking the door, punching it, slamming her body against it. Anything to try to make it open.

It was a sudden dark, familiar voice that stopped her in her place and sent shivers down her spine. A voice she thought she would never hear again, a voice she hoped she would never hear again.

“Did you miss me?”


	14. 14

______ backed away from the door, no longer wanting it to open, not wanting the person on the other side of it to come through. However, he didn’t need to use the door to get in, the next second Maverick had apparated into the room. His face was scared, his dark hair brushed back and his eyes dark and sinister. He half-smiled, something that made ______’s blood run cold. “You’re supposed to be dead,” she told him. “You can’t be here.”

“Am I?” he asked her in a dark tone. “Never leave a beast to do something you really should do by yourself. I learned that lesson first hand when I trusted that pest to kill your boyfriend and you got in the way.” He waved a hand dismissively, as if pushing the memory behind him and moving on. As if that night was just one failure, one small wave in an ocean.

As if it were really that easy to forget that night, but ______ still had the scar on her arm that would never let her forget. Never let her forget the night where she was hit with Unforgiveable Curse after Unforgiveable Curse, where she word “Muggle” was slowly etched into her arm. _One letter, crucio, crucio, crucio. Another letter, crucio, crucio, crucio._ Over and over again until he spelt out a word she’d never forget. Over here, they called then no-majs, but she would always be a Muggle. He tortured her, left her behind, put her under a potion that made her trick Newt, and almost killed her with a beast. That was a night she could never forget.

Maverick was the villain of every single one of her nightmares, and knowing he was back and that she was being kept here by him made her want to shrink into nothingness and disappear into a void.

“Why are you back?” she asked, her voice shaking. It was a mix of fear and anger that caused it to quiver. “Why are you keeping me here?”

Maverick just gave her a sick smile, one that was condescending and powerful. “Because I could, because it’s fun, do I really need reasons like dead wives or demons to justify I can kill?”

His answer made ______’s heart sink. “You never had a wife, did you?” she asked. “Last time I saw you, you said you were doing it because they wrongfully imprisoned your wife. That wasn’t true, was it?”

Maverick shook his head. “You felt like you deserved an answer, and you were about to die, so it didn’t matter if what I said was a lie or not. Was it convincing? Did it make you _feel_ better? Does it really matter if I have a reason or not?”

“You’re crazy,” ______ told him.

“That’s uncreative, a really weak work for what I am. I’ve been called a great many things, but I do have a personal favorite: a sadistic, hedonistic nihilist. That _does_ have a better ring, doesn’t it? Not that it matters,” he told her. “Point being: yes, yes I am. Any more questions?”

“Why do you need me?” she asked. “Why didn’t you leave me to become apathetic like all those other victims?”

“Apathetic? Is that what they’ve been calling it?” Maverick asked. “Soulless, that’s what they are. Not apathetic, but I can see where they’re coming from.”

“Just answer the question.”

Maverick pulled out a wand and pointed it at her. “Silencio!” he said, and her voice went mute. “It’s very rude to interrupt someone when they’re talking. You want to know why? I’m going to need you, eventually. You can have so many uses… leverage, blackmail, general hostage. You’ll find out your purpose all in due time.”

______ stood up, walking towards him. If she couldn’t use her words, she’d find some other way to get out of this situation. Before she even thought about what she would do, Maverick walked towards her and grabbed her hands with little effort, pinning them behind her back. “You should really be more careful,” he told her. “A woman in your condition should watch what she does.”

It was a normal threat, but the way Maverick said it put ______ off. It was as if he knew something she didn’t, and she stopped moving involuntarily. Maverick pushed her towards the bed and pointed his wand at her, and her voice felt free again. “Why are you doing this?” she asked again.

“I already told you,” he replied, annoyed.

“I mean _this_ specifically. What do you have to gain out of attacking Muggles in New York? What’s the point of all this?”

“Does there have to be one?” he rolled his eyes. “Like I’m going to tell _you_ my plans. I’m not making _that_ rookie move.”

Maverick turned on his heels and began to walk out of the room, and a feeling swept over ______. She had no idea what to expect once he disappeared, she had no contact with the outside world. She was going to be left alone in this small room for who knows _how_ long, and she wasn’t prepared to do that.

“Let me out of here, Maverick!” she yelled at him, but he didn’t even flinch, he didn’t turn around. “Please let me go! I don’t even know where we are, you could drop me off on a street corner and I’d have no idea where to tell them where to go! I’m not a threat, I’m no use to you, let me _out!_ ”

Maverick pulled his wand out and hesitated. “You’re more useful than you know, ______.” He muttered, and the next second, he was gone. ______ rolled into a ball on the bed, hugging her knees and closing her eyes, trying to ignore her situation.

Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine something to make her feel better. She imagined Newt’s face, she pictured him so vividly she could count his freckles. She focused on simple, happy memories. Staying in with him on a cold winter night, walking around London and sight seeing when he had days off, taking turns cooking and always feeding his beasts after every meal, spending days sneaking around Hogsmeade while pretending to be a wizard, surprising Newt with simple Muggle things she bought him and him surprising her with al kinds of Muggle sweets and objects. It was almost as if he was there with her, sitting next to her, comforting her. But he wasn’t.

 _Please find me Newt,_ she thought. _Please. I’m waiting for you._


	15. 15

Maverick was the last wizard on Earth that Newt wanted ______ to be with. The fact it was _Maverick_ setting dementors out in New York was something Newt didn’t have a hard time imagining, but the fact that he now had ______ with him made a burning sensation fill Newt. He was more motivated than ever now to find her, and he would do anything to get her back. Newt turned to Dumbledore, ready to find out more and get to business. “How did he get the dementors from Azkaban to come to New York?”

“The current theory is that it was an inside job,” Dumbledore told him. “Maybe he got a job and plotted from there, maybe he knew someone, we’re not sure. However, after some investigation, all I found out is that it was rumored that they were brought over here to New York.”

Newt thought about it for a moment. He didn’t know much about Maverick, but from what he knew, he felt like he had been lied to. Maverick wasn’t dead like he thought, he was alive, so _obviously_ there was more to him than they all thought. Either Swooping Evil didn’t do what he usually does well, or something else was going on here. Newt didn’t know and couldn’t remember if he had ever been taught a way to live beyond death, but if there was, did Maverick have it? Was he in control if he lives or dies? How was that even possible?

Dumbledore knew the answer to this, but he wouldn’t give it away for a long time. It was a dark magic that no one should be exposed to, and he was disappointed that there was a book with details about it in his own school. The fact that the current headmaster allowed it was unspeakable, and Dumbledore had raised concern about it before, but he was ignored.

“Why would someone want to do something like this?” Newt asked. “It doesn’t make sense, why would someone go through the trouble of gathering dementors, somehow _stealing_ them, and bringing them to America just to terrorize Muggles?”

Dumbledore sighed. “I only have a small piece of information when it comes to that. It appears this ‘Maverick’ fellow thinks that terrorizing Muggles will somehow help the wizarding community.”

Newt fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Another Grindelwald,” Newt sighed. “That’s great.”

Dumbledore shrugged, not wanting to get on the subject of Grindelwald. “Maverick believes that by getting rid of Muggles or scaring them into submission by attacking them with a creature they can’t see will allow wizards to gain some power again and no longer live in the shadows. However, I fear that the exact opposite will happen. If something like this continues to happen, and Muggles turn to blaming magic, we’ll go right back into the Burning Times.”

Newt shuddered at the thought. If that were true, more negative consequences would happen than he could even predict. One thing he couldn’t get out of his mind was the fact that another Obscurus as powerful as Credence’s could happen. Newt had never seen an Obscurus as powerful as him, and now that he knew it was possible, he feared to see what would happen if young witches and wizards were made to repress their magic again.

The thought of something like that happening made Newt just want to run and find ______, get her out of Maverick’s grasp and bring Maverick down once and for all. More than ever, Newt was itching to get out there and find him, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy. Even having a name wasn’t going to help, and Dumbledore had been searching before he had and hadn’t come across anything that got him closer to finding him.

But two heads were always better than one.

“Let’s go and find him,” Newt said, looking at Dumbledore and making direct eye-contact. “Once and for all. What are we waiting for?”


	16. 16

There was only one place Newt knew where to go in New York for information: The Blind Pig. His past experience with the place had been less than ideal, and that was when he had something to offer. Now he was going in empty-handed, armed with nothing but his wits and his previous professor.

It wasn’t what he wanted when he was looking for information so important, but he had to make due somehow.

Dumbledore was skeptical when New first proposed the idea of going to The Blind Pig. Newt had nothing to offer, so it was Dumbledore who would have to be offering something. Newt had an idea, but he didn’t know how far he could get with it. In fact, it was such a shaky idea, he hadn’t even told Dumbledore about it. It was rather inconvenient, considering the fact that it was a skill of Dumbledore’s that Newt was going to be offering.

Newt went out shopping that day, going to Muggle shops he had visited before with ______ to find himself and Dumbledore clothes nice enough to be in The Blind Pig while blending in. For a place mostly run by wanted wizards, it was a classy joint. He found himself a pressed shirt with a bow-tie, and Dumbledore instead with some dress robes he had brought with him instead of getting anything else. They waited a few hours for the sun to go down so the place would be populated and headed inside.

The heavy smell of drinks they were serving at the bar was the first thing Newt thought about when he walked in. Looking at Dumbledore, he could tell he was thinking the same thing, his nose was scrunched and he had an unpleasant look on his face. “Don’t worry Professor, I have a plan,” Newt told him.

“The words ‘I have a plan’ have never been particularly soothing to me,” Dumbledore told him, looking around. “Who are we looking for here?”

“A goblin,” Newt replied casually. “His name is Gnarlak, and he runs this place. He sells anyone information for the right price.”

“We have nothing to offer,” Dumbledore pointed out.

“Sure we do,” Newt looked at Dumbledore and gave him a half-smile. “Inside information about MACUSA.”

Before Dumbledore could ask Newt to explain, he had walked away and sat in a booth, looking around with a distracted look in his eyes. Dumbledore observed him from afar for a moment. Newt had always been someone who was fidgety and was uncomfortable around people, but the last time he had seen Newt he seemed different. That was when he caught Newt and ______ in the headmaster’s office and helped them escape. There was something different about him then.

Newt had been brave and stood up to Headmaster Black to defend ______ the best he could. It was as if just being around her had transformed him into a better version of himself. Nothing was vastly different about him, but he was more comfortable to be himself around her.

And here he was, going somewhere he was obviously uncomfortable just to see if he can get the smallest piece of information about where she could be. He was a Hufflepuff through and through, continuing to be the loyal boyfriend to a woman who Dumbledore wasn’t sure was even alive. He certainly hoped she was, but they had to face the facts at some point: she was last seen being attacked by Dementors and being dragged away by an unknown man. The chances of her still being alive somewhere out there were slim.

But those were the slim chances that Newt continued to hold on to.

Dumbledore joined Newt at the booth he sat in, and someone had some up to them asking what they were there for. When Newt said Gnarlak’s name, they just nodded and went into the back. Dumbledore leaned towards Newt. “So, what exactly is this inside information we have about MACUSA?”

“You’ll just have to trust me on this,” Newt told him. Moments later, Dumbledore saw the goblin they were waiting for walk up to the table, a large cigar hanging out of his mouth.

“Newt Scamander, I never expected to see your face around here after the trouble you cost me last time,” he growled, obviously not happy with seeing Newt around again.

“You were the one who threatened to call MACUSA,” he told him. “You were scared about something then. You didn’t want ______ here for some reason, and now that I know why, I can understand that. But I’m back here, and I have different questions. I’m here for information.”

“You know how it works,” Gnarlak leaned in menacingly. “I don’t give away anything for free.”

Newt took in a deep breath, hoping the information he had would be sufficient. “I know how to break out of MACUSA’s cells from the inside with nothing but a cup of coffee.”

Dumbledore looked over at Newt, trying to hide his shocked expression. _That_ was his power play? His escape plan? It had only worked because Dumbledore had planned ahead and prepared for all kinds of options, and because Abernathy was very bad at judging Dumbledore’s character. Or, rather, _anyone’s_ character for that matter. How was he supposed to pawn off that plan? One Gnarlak realized how simple it was, they were going to be in trouble.

However, he never would have to.

Gnarlak was intrigued. He knew a lot of people who would pay a big price for information like that. He knew more than a fair share of wizards who knew the inside of MACUSA’s cells better than they knew their own bedroom. “What do you want in return?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew that kind of information wasn’t going to come without a big price-tag from the wizard. He _had_ to know how valuable information like that was to come here with it.

“I want you to tell me anything and everything you know about the whereabouts of a wizard called ‘Maverick,’” Newt told him, making eye contact with the goblin and leaning in.

Gnarlak’s face dropped. Last time Newt came in, he brought a no-maj, and that scared him enough to kick him out. Now he was asking him about the only wizard that Gnarlak was genuinely terrified of. “No deal,” Gnarlak deadpanned at him, trying to remain calm. “Nothing is worth revealing what I know about him. I don’t gamble with my own life, thank you very much.”

“He’ll never know where we got our information from, it could be anyone,” Newt told him. “What makes you think he knows it would be you?”

“He won’t care who gave the information, he’ll just send his army of dementors to all of us in that case. No man is going to risk his life talking about that man, it’s too dangerous. You could have information about how to break into every major bank in the city, and I’d still turn you away if you want something about him. No deal,” Gnarlak spat in his face. “Now, get out of my bar.”

Defeated, Newt and Dumbledore began to stand. Gnarak watched then as they got up, and spoke up one last time. “I’ll give you some free advice, Scamander. Stop looking for that wizard.”

“I can’t do that,” Newt turned around, looking towards up but not directly at him. “He kidnapped my girlfriend, you see, and I’ll do anything to get her back.”

“The no-maj you brought in here last time?” Gnarlak asked in surprise. Newt shook his head and began to walk away, Dumbledore at his side. “What would Maverick want with a no-maj?” He mumbled to himself.

There was one thing he knew: whatever it was for, it wouldn’t be good. He felt _bad_ for the no-maj, something he thought he never would feel. After all, he’d rather be dead in his own bar than have to live anywhere near Maverick.


	17. 17

Queenie’s visits with Jacob had gotten more frequent ever since what happened to ______. She was already worried for him the second she knew that they were targeting no-majs, but now more than ever she felt like she needed to be by his side. Dementors were a creature to be reckoned with, and Jacob had no way of defending himself against them. She tried convincing him to lay low for a while, maybe sell something away from his usual beast-shaped pastries. He refused, however. He didn’t want to change what he did out of fear.

“If this evil wizard guy wants to come and get a piece of me, I’d like to see him try,” Jacob told Queenie, acting tough to impress her. Despite them being together for a while now, he was always looking for new ways to impress her and make her laugh or smile. Usually, something like that made her laugh, but she seemed dead serious and concerned.

“Jacob, please,” she began, taking his hands and looking at him with pleading eyes. “This man really is dangerous, and it’s no matter to take lightly. I’m scared for you…” she trailed off and bit her lip. She tried not to gossip, she told herself she was better than that, but she needed a way to convince Jacob that he could be in some real danger. “Do you remember meeting Newt’s girlfriend, ______?”

He nodded slowly, remembering her face and matching her name to it before fully remembering. “Yeah, I remember her. She was a looker. What about her?”

“She’s disappeared. We don’t know where she went, but Tina last saw her being attacked, and there was nothing she could do. Newt is in MACUSA’s cells, and we have to tell him that ______ didn’t exist because the truth is so much worse. Jacob, I don’t want you to disappear. I can’t imagine that happening. Just please… until this thing blows over, stop making the beast pastries.” Queenie told him all at once.

Jacob stood there, shocked. He couldn’t imagine what Newt was going through. He considered Newt to be one of his closest friends, despite not being able to talk to him very much recently. ______ was a wonderful person too, and he had only gotten to meet her once. He had even hoped that when they went back to Britain that they would be able to write each other, and that he and Newt would be able to talk to each other more.

But no.

_But no._

Jacob sighed, a hand instinctively running through his hair. “Yeah, okay,” were the first words he managed to get out. “Well, jeez, is he doing okay? It can’t be easy losing someone like that.”

“He’s not doing well, last time I heard,” Queenie told him. “I don’t think Tina is going about this the right way. She’s trying to convince Newt that ______ didn’t exist, she thinks that it would hurt less than the truth. I can understand that, but I really do think that he deserves to know the truth. No one wants to see their loved one like that, and Newt wouldn’t take it well, but at least he would know the truth.”

Jacob nodded. “When I couldn’t remember you, it was horrible. I felt like there was something missing in my life, but I couldn’t place it. I think that she should tell him the truth.”

Queenie gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry honey, I’m not going anywhere ever again. You’re stuck with me,” she teased him.

“What a wonderful person to be stuck with,” Jacob smiled at her and leaned in, giving her a kiss. It was just then that a customer walked in and started looking around. Queenie, knowing she wasn’t allowed to be back there since she wasn’t an employee, was going to do her usual: hide in the backroom until she heard them leave.

But something felt strange as she walked back there this time. There was a cold and gloomy feeling that washed over her, but as she looked over at the customer, she didn’t see anything inherently wrong. However, the second she tried getting into his mind, something strange happened.

She was blocked by him, and he made direct eye contact with her, and she got a chill down her spine. It was as if he could look right through her and knew exactly who she was. “I’ll be in the back…” she whispered quietly to Jacob, and she hid in the backroom, but peaked over the counter to watch what was happening. She didn’t trust that man at all.

As he walked around the shop, Jacob got a good look at the man. He was tall, dark hair, and a distinct scar across his face. As the man looked over at him, his eyes seemed to read Jacob right away and inspect him, and it made him uncomfortable. Finally, the man spoke. “Interesting pastries you have for sale,” he said bluntly.

“You think?” Jacob asked, attempting to relieve tension. “Well, get them while they’re fresh today, because these designs are going to be put on hold after today.”

“Oh?” the man asked, looking over at him. “Why’s that?”

Jacob shrugged. “I have a new idea, and I want to make something different. Nothing too special.” He broke into a light sweat, hoping it wasn’t noticeable. He started to feel the cold and gloomy atmosphere, as if it was following the man around.

The man walked around with a break-basket, carefully picking out some beast-shaped pastries and putting them in the basket. He only picked out the ones shaped like beasts, which put Jacob on a slight edge. Finally, he walked up to the counter and started to pay. He used a form of currency Jacob hated processing: a Charga-Plate. It was a small hassle, and really wished the man would’ve stuck to cash so he would leave sooner.

As Jacob was finalizing the transaction, the man spoke. “Tell me, where do you get the ideas for these… pastries?” he looked towards the bread basket.

“Oh, you know…” Jacob trailed off. “They just come to me. In dreams, while imagining and brainstorming, things like that. Nothing special.”

“Well, you might just _brainstorm_ one more beast to the collection,” the man said. Taking the bread basket and walking away, something happened that was so sudden Queenie almost didn’t react to it.

As the man opened the door to leave, a dementor flew inside and started attacking Jacob. _This_ is what Jacob had felt earlier – the gloom and draining, but it was more intense now. However, he couldn’t see what was attacking him as he felt something hit him and he fell to the floor, unable to move.

“Jacob!” Queenie shoted, pulling out her wand and coming out of the back. She pointed her wand at the dementor, and tried thinking of a happy memory despite the gloom in the room that the dementor was causing. “Expecto Patronum!” she yelled.

A silver mist shot out of her wand and at the dementor, and it flew away. She didn’t need to cast a full patronus to get it away, and the second it was off of Jacob, she kneeled next to him. “Jacob! Are you alright?” she asked, holding his face in her hands and looking down at him with a worried expression.

“I’m alright… I think,” Jacob slowly replied, sitting up. “What happened?”

“The worst case scenario,” Queenie said, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. She leaned over and hugged Jacob, and he hugged her back. As soon as he did, she let herself cry, sobbing on his shoulder.

“Hey, hey,” Jacob began to sooth her. “It’s alright, I’m okay, you’re okay, it’s going to be alright.” He pulled out of the hug and looked her in the face. “You know you’re beautiful even when you cry, right?”

Queenie laughed a little through her tears. “Don’t leave my side, okay? I think it’s about time I get Tina involved. She needs to know about this.”

Queenie stood up, soon followed by Jacob. He looked at her, shocked at her sudden decision. “Right now?” he asked.

“I don’t want to wait another minute, I can’t stand the thought of that happening again, and now I can’t _imagine_ what newt is going through.” She held out her arm. “You’re coming with.”

“I am?” Jacob asked, worried about what might happen. “I… I have to close up the shop.”

Queenie pointed her wand at the sign at the door and it flipped to show “CLOSED” on the outside. “You can do the rest later; we need to go _now._ ”

Jacob took a deep breath and held Queenie’s arm. With a flick of her wand, they disappeared out of the shop.


	18. 18

Hours felt like days when ______ was trapped in the fake hospital room that Maverick kept her trapped in. She hadn’t seen him in at least a day, not since the first time she saw him. She still had no idea why she was there, and Maverick’s strange words floated around in her head.

What could he possibly need her for?

_____ was bored out of her mind, scared out of her mind, and had no idea what to expect next. The only thing that kept her company was her memories. The memories she had with Newt, the sweet ones, the steamy ones. Just seeing his face made her want to go through all of this just to see him again. Whenever her mind wandered to the steamier memories, all she could think of was the night of their official six-month anniversary. That was the first night they had taken all of their teasing, their make-out sessions, all their awkward turn-ons and done something _more_. Newt was more nervous than anything, more nervous than _____ was. They weren’t worried once they started to remove each other’s clothing, after all, under all those layers was the promise of someone they loved getting closer to them.

That was only about five weeks ago, which was strange to think about. Five weeks ago, _____ thought Maverick was dead. Now, she has to see his nightmarish face every day and wonder what torture he was going to put her through.

Right as he came into her mind, the doorknob began to turn, and her head snapped towards the locked door, Maverick coming through it. She grabbed the sheets to the only bed in the room and tried pulling them over herself to hide from him, but she knew it was useless. Her eyes wandered to a bag that made her eyes go wide, mostly because she recognized the label: _Kowalski’s Baked Goods._

Maverick’s voice was cold and sinister as he told her, “I got you something you might like.” He threw at the bag at her and she caught it, opening it and seeing an array of baked goods that her jaw-stopped at. Pastries shaped perfectly like the beasts she had grown to love, the ones she helped Newt take care of, the ones she missed.

The ones that were missing.

_____ turned from the bag to Maverick, meeting his harsh eyes with her cautious ones. “Why would you get these got me.”

“Oh, you don’t like them?” he asked with a smirk. “I thought they might remind you of that mousey little wizard you call your boyfriend. I can easily take them back-”

“No!” _____ shouted, hugging the bag close to her and taking another look inside. “I want them. I really do.”

“Good, I hope you’re grateful, because you’re going to have to become useful to me,” Maverick reached into his seemingly bottomless coat pocket and pulled out an item that was far too familiar to _____: Newt’s case. Before _____ could even say a word, Maverick continued talking. “I need you to take care of them for now. I want to use them but… not yet. All in good time. Once my dementors weaken the population just enough, then they’ll become useful. However, _someone_ needs to keep them alive, and I could care less about feeding them. So, they’re your responsibility now.”

Maverick placed the case on the ground and kicked it over to _____, causing some of the creatures inside of it to stir. She grabbed it off of the ground and hugged it close to her. “I’ll do it. Of course I’ll do it,” she told him, playing along. Of course she was going to take care of them, but she would not allow him to use them. She thought, however, if she played along for now she could get him to do one favor for her. “Maverick… do you think you can bring me more of these pastries? The beast shaped ones?”

Maverick shook his head. “Sorry, that’s impossible, dear. I killed the baker. Muggles who know about magic, or anything about the magical world, have no place existing. They don’t have the right to know about us, and they don’t have the right to keep on living.”

Tears immediately flooded ______’s eyes. _Jacob is dead?_ She thought, not wanting to accept it. Not that long ago, she was meeting him for the first time, bonding over their magical-spouses. She made a connection with him, a true one, he was kind to her. _It can’t be true._

She had to accept that it was. Maverick wasn’t messing around with that kind of topic.

“What do you have against Muggles who know about magic?” she began to shout, overwhelmed with emotions. It was getting to be too much. Jacob didn’t deserve to die, she didn’t deserve to have nightmares the rest of her life, a scar that branded her with the slur. “There’s nothing I am doing that is directly harming you! All I wanted to do was live a life with Newt in peace, I love him. Can’t you see that wizards and Muggles really can fall in love?”

“Love,” Maverick scoffed. “That’s the mortal version of magic. You cast wizards under the only spell you know, the spell of love, and you expect every other wizard to go along with it. Mudbloods are born from sickening parents, and they expect us to accept them. Mudbloods aren’t the worst to me, though. Their parents didn’t make a conscious decision to dirty their blood. No, it’s the half-bloods that sicken me the most. Wizards born from parents who knew what they were doing was wrong and did it anyways. A muggle parent and a wizard parent, a knowing tint of blood. A union formed from some forbidden magic you insist on calling _love._ ”

“Maverick, you are a sick-”

_____ didn’t get far in her sentence before Maverick lifted his wand and uttered “Silencio! I was talking! You never learn. You never will, you dumb muggle. Your naïve wizard boyfriend may have accepted you, but you will never be one of us. You will never fit in with us, and any baby you and that wizard have together is forged in a union made from selfishness. Love is selfish, you know? You’ll know soon about sickening half-bloods.”

Maverick gave _____ a look, and suddenly she knew. She knew what he was trying to say, and she wished she could scream, but the spell bound her to silence.

_“A woman in your condition…”_

He had hooked her up in a fake hospital room, but it was still a hospital room. One where evaluations were done. _____ put a hand to her stomach and felt like she was going to be sick, there was _no way_ this was happening. Maverick let go of his hold of her and she began to scream, “Newt! Newt! Newt!”

“Help is not on its way,” he told her. With a sickening look, he raised his wand at her. “Do you remember the curse?”

_____’s eyes went wide. “No, please Maverick, no. No, no, no. Please. I want to see Newt. Please, I need to see him,” she begged. She didn’t want to be alone more than anything else right now, and remembering that night and that curse flooded her mind.

Maverick lowered his wand. “Take care of the beasts.” He told her, and with a snap of his fingers, he disappeared.

_____ fell back onto the hospital bed clutching the pastry bag and Newt’s case, tears flooding her eyes. Her form of entertainment and reassurance turned dark as all her mind started to allow her to remember was the night at the castle. She felt like she was going to be sick.

_Crucio, crucio, crucio._


	19. 19

Queenie apparated right into the apartment, grateful that Tina wasn’t in the room when she did. She didn’t want to spring Jacob on her now, she needed to talk to her about other pressing things before Tina freaked out at the sight of Jacob. She turned to him. “You stay here, I need to talk to Tina. Don’t make a noise,” she said seriously but gave him a smile. He had already had one frightening experience tonight, she didn’t want to add to a bad atmosphere with her attitude. She kissed him softly on the lips and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”

She walked towards Tina’s room, knowing she’d find her in there. Tina hasn’t been herself since what happened. Queenie knew it hurt her to see Newt so upset, it hurt to lie to him, it hurt to know what happened. She blamed herself. She thought that she should’ve tried harder to save _____, that she could’ve done more. Queenie disagreed.

In a small way, Queenie blamed herself. If she had stayed and helped them look instead of leaving to visit Jacob, this may not have happened. She would’ve been there to help. _____ didn’t stand a chance against Dementors, she couldn’t even see them.

Queenie knocked on Tina’s door. “Teeny?” she asked quietly. She only heard a soft groan from inside. “I know you’re in there. I need to talk to you, so I’m coming in.”

She softly opened the door to see Tina curled up on the bed, still in her work clothes. Queenie went up to her and softly sat next to her. “I need to tell you something important, Tina, and I need you to listen the whole way though.”

Tina sat up and looked at her. The serious nature of Queenie’s voice concerned her. “Of course I’ll listen. What’s wrong?”

Queenie took a deep breath. _It’s all or nothing._

“Tina, I haven’t been completely honest with you. For a few months now… I’ve been seeing Jacob. He remembers everything now, and Tina, it was so hard to let him go. He and I, we have something special. Just like Newt and _____ do. Well, I was visiting him today, and someone came in. Tina, from the moment he walked in, there was something off about him. I could feel it. He bought something from the bakery, and then he sent in a Dementor. He attacked Jacob, and I barely got it off of him. Tina, I think that’s him. The dark wizard. It’s time to tell Newt the truth so we can all go after him together. You have to tell him sometime, Tina, and if there’s a chance that _____ is still alive and still out there, we have to take it.”

Tina was shocked. It was a _lot_ of information to take in, first of all. She wasn’t upset with Queenie about Jacob. She figured it would happen sooner or later. In fact, because of _____ and Newt, she got used to the idea of No-Majs and wizards being together. She wanted to support them now, rather than push them away, and she was upset with herself that she gave Queenie the impression that she had to hide their relationship. She was ashamed of what she used to think. She wanted to be better.

The second thing she was shocked by was that a dark wizard would even go _into_ Jacob’s bakery. “What? Why was he there? What did he buy?”

“I have no idea why. All he did was buy a few pastries and try to attack Jacob. That’s why we have to tell Newt. He’s getting closer, and I think Newt should help us find him. He deserves to know what really happened to _____.”

Tina took a moment of silence and then sobbed. “Queenie, I have bad news. Newt escaped from his cell last night with the help of another wizard, and we can’t find him anywhere.” She put her head in her hands. “I’m sure he hates me now anyways, Queenie. Even if we find him, I don’t know what I would say to him.”

Queenie put her hand on her back. “Just tell him the truth. It wasn’t your fault, Tina. There’s nothing you could’ve done.” She thought for a moment. “I think I know a way we can find them.”

Tina looked over at her. “What is it?”

“Do you know the name of the wizard who helped him?”

“Ah… Albus Dumbledore.”

Queenie smiled. “If just you and I look for them, it’ll be impossible. There’s no way we can track down two people who don’t want to be found with just two of us. If we put a bounty on them though…”

Tina knew where she was going with her train of thought. “There’d be more wizards looking for them, wizards who know how to find people who don’t want to be found.” She smiled. “And I know just the place to do it.”

Tina stood up and left her bedroom, and Queenie was happy. She hadn’t seen Tina this excited about an idea in a long time. She followed her out, and saw that Tina and Jacob were standing face-to-face, looking at each other. Silence hung in the air and Queenie looked over at Jacob, reading his mind. _What should I do?_

Queenie turned to Tina. She knew she wasn’t angry with her or Jacob. She could read that much. Jacob spoke hesitantly. “Hello, uh, Miss Goldstein.”

Tina just laughed lightly, wiping a tear off her face she hadn’t realized had fallen. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kowalski. I’m sorry that you and Queenie felt like you had to hide from me. From now on, I promise you two have my full support. You don’t have to run around behind my back.”

Jacob smiled from ear to ear. “Really?”

Tina nodded. “Now, you two put on your best clothes. We’re going to the Blind Pig.”

Jacob remembered that place faintly. A magical speak-easy. He remembers punching a mobster in the face there and took a deep breath. _This will be interesting._


	20. 20

Trying to find a wizard in New York was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It especially didn’t help when that certain wizard didn’t want to be found, and those who knew about his whereabouts were too scared to talk about him. Newt was getting more and more frustrated the longer they searched.

After eight hours or investigating and finding nothing, Newt and Dumbledore ended up by Central Park. He took a deep breath and sat on a bench, his head in his hands. Dumbledore took a seat next to him, looking over at the wizard who looks like he was about to abandon all hope. He knew what was wrong, so he knew a question like that wouldn’t help. Dumbledore didn’t need to be a legitimist to read what was on his mind. Instead, he asked questions he hoped would help Newt regain his energy. “Newt, how did you and _____ meet in the first place?”

Newt looked up, surprised by the sudden question and why Dumbledore would care. Instead of asking, he decided to talk about it. That was usually the better option anyways. “My Niffler got out of my case, and I chased him all the way into her apartment building. When I grabbed him, I slipped and fell, and I couldn’t reach my wand, and I didn’t have enough grounding to apparate. I was hanging from her windowsill for my life, and she found me. Instead of questioning why I had broken into her apartment, she helped me up.”

“How did she find out about magic?”

“Pickett,” Newt smiled thinking about him. _He was missing too._ “He took a liking to her after she saved me. Wouldn’t come off her for the life of me. It’s hard to explain to someone that a magical beast was stuck on them without them knowing about magic.”

“How did she react?”

“Wonderfully. She didn’t get scared at all, she skipped the part where she’s surprised and scared. She reacted unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She reacted with wonder, intrigue, she wanted to know more. She was curious, and she loved to learn about it…” Newt trailed off, leaning back and looking into the night sky. “I’ll see her again, right?”

Dumbledore put a hand on Newt’s back. “Newt, as long as we don’t give up now, we will find her. He can’t hide forever. We will find him, and we will find her. I promise you that.”

Newt looked down, fighting tears. It was getting harder and harder to believe that, but he knew he had to. He had to hang on. For her, for himself. He wouldn’t give up on her. “I just miss her so much. She makes me happier than anything. When I kiss her, the rest of the world fades away, and it’s just me and her, and nothing else matters. She believes in me, she helps me, she supports me. I can never remember what hating myself feels like when I’m around her. She makes me feel so wonderful, and I just want to show her that I’m willing to give her the world.” Newt took a deep breath and looked over at Dumbledore. “Can I tell you something?”

“What is it?”

“I had a whole plan to surprise her when we were here. One of the nights we spent over here, I was going to-”

Newt was cut off when a wizard shouted, “Them! There! Those are the ones from the posters!”

Newt and Dumbledore stood up quickly, realizing suddenly that they had been surrounded. They both brandished their wands, preparing for a fight, when suddenly their wands shot out of their hands by another wizard who shouted a spell they got drowned out by the sound of magical restraints attaching to them.

It was all happening so fast, but Newt was still able to detect a voice among the crowd shouting, “Take them to MACUSA!”


	21. 21

Newt’s mind was running at a thousand miles an hour. Of _course_ he’d end up back here, he was a fugitive, and Dumbledore helped him escape. Dread built in him. _I don’t time to lose,_ he thought to himself. _I have to start looking for _____. I don’t care what they say to me about her never existing, I know they’re wrong._

He hoped that he would get to see Tina. He had so many questions for her, one headlining above all others: why did she knowingly lie to him? Once he knew that, he could get into the multitudes of other questions he had in mind.

When he got to MACUSA, he realized how late at night it had become. Most people had left the office at this point, the halls were nearly abandoned, and they were being taken right into the holding cells. Newt was beginning to know all too well what the inside of a cell looked like. Once they got into the cell, the guard shouted, “Mrs. Goldstein will be conducting your interrogation.”

Newt sat down, his nerves everywhere. Looking over at Dumbledore, he seemed surprisingly calm through everything that happened. Newt didn’t understand it at all. “Dumbledore, if you don’t mind me asking, how are you cool through all of this?”

Dumbledore looked at him and gave a gentle smile. “Newt, this isn’t my first time getting wrapped up in something particularly dangerous. I find it exciting. If you’re getting people upset, you’re probably heading in the right direction.”

“You’re right,” Newt took in a deep breath. He usually tried not to worry so much, but he worried a lot when it came to the things and people he loved and cared about. He knew that if he wasn’t worried about how _____ was doing, that would be more unnatural.

After only five minutes, the guard came back in and led them into the interrogation room, where Tina sat patiently. As soon as she and Newt met eyes, her eyes filled with sorrow. Before Newt had the chance to speak, she was apologizing. “Newt, I never meant to do this to you, I’m truly sorry. This was the only way I could find you. I pulled strings and got you both released of all charges, I promise, you’re not in any trouble.”

“I don’t care if I’m in trouble or not,” Newt told her. “I want to know why you lied to me about _____. Why did you lie to me, Tina? When you knew what happened?”

Tina sucked in a deep breath. _I will not cry,_ she told herself. She had already cried once earlier that night talking with Queenie. What happened to _____ constantly haunted her, and it killed her every moment she had to lie to Newt. “I was scared Newt, alright?” she spoke honestly. “I tried to save her Newt, but I couldn’t get all three of us out. She was surrounded, they targeted her more than the rest of us and I couldn’t get to her. I had to make a choice and that choice is haunting me with every moment I’m still here and she isn’t. I was scared that if I told you the truth, you’d hate me, but even worse, you’d fall apart. I can see how much you love her, Newt. Knowing that she got attacked by dementors…” Tina trailed off. Her plan not to cry failed, and she was sobbing now.

Newt looked at her with sympathetic eyes. “How much did you see of what happened to her? What do you know?”

Tina took in a deep breath. “Right before I apparated, I saw a dementor lean down towards her, giving her the kiss. For all I know, she’s walking around as an empty shell with Apathy Syndrome, or even worse, she could be dead.” Tina put her head in her hands. “I know. I know I should’ve told you. I thought it would be easier to move on if I could get you to forget her, because now that you know, it’s a lot of information and it’s all my fault.”

Newt took her wrists and looked into her eyes. “Tina, _____ isn’t dead, but she is in trouble.”

Tina stared at Newt in disbelief before she tore her hands away. “What? What do you mean?”

Dumbledore spoke up for the first time. “I’ve been investigating this myself. Witnesses saw _____ being taken away by a tall wizard in a dark coat with a scar across his face. His name is Maverick.”

Tina put a hand over her mouth before saying. “The reason I got you two here was to tell you that I have a lead on whoever is controlling the dementors. Queenie and Jacob saw him, and he attacked Jacob. They both told me that the wizard had a huge scar across his face. If we find him, we could find _____.”

Newt stood up quickly. “What are we waiting for then?” he asked, anxious to go. “Let’s start finding him _now._ ”

The guard unlocked the door and they all started to leave. Tina grabbed Newt’s arm as he turned to go. “Wait, Newt, I want to ask you something.” As Newt looked in her direction, he didn’t look on her eyes, and a part of her heart broke because of it. “Are you angry with me?”

Newt shook his head. “I thought I would be, Tina. I did, I had so many questions prepared. I didn’t understand at all why you would lie to me about someone I loved. I’m not angry anymore. Just… upset. I wished we could’ve started the search for her right away, but we’ve lost time now. We have to make it up to _____.”

Tina nodded and let go of his arm. “Let’s find Maverick. First things first, we need to talk to Jacob again.”


	22. 22

Queenie had left to prep Jacob as soon as Tina went looking for Newt and Dumbledore. She knew that as soon as they were found, everyone would want to know what happened. Jacob was still in shock, and right now he was eating a chocolate pastry under Queenie’s orders. “It’ll help you feel better,” she assured him. “You’ll want your energy for when they get here. I have a feeling everything is going to come together tonight.”

Jacob just sat in silence, not really in a mood to talk. After everything that happened, he hasn’t even had time to catch his breath. If he did, they’d realize that he holds some of the most important information:

He knows where Maverick is staying.

After finishing his pastry, there’s a sudden sound and the room is filled with three more people than there was two seconds ago. Joining them now was Tina, Newt and someone he had never seen before. He had a beard and kind eyes, and he figured that he was one of the good guys. Newt caught Jacob’s eyes. “Are you alright?” he asked him. “I heard what happened.”

“Never mind me, are _you_ alright?” Jacob asked. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

Newt just shook his head. “I haven’t been able to. I need to find ______ and know that she’s okay. I won’t be able to rest until then.”

“We were hoping you noticed something or had any information at all about the wizard who attacked you,” Tina told him. “Newt says the description you gave reminds him of a wizard he knew all too well long ago, someone who’s already tried once to steal all of Newt’s beasts. Now his case and ______ are gone.”

“Was his name Maverick?” Jacob asked, and silence filled the air. It was the first time Jacob had given any kind of hint that he knew more than just what the wizard looked like. Dumbledore was the first to speak in a kind, calming voice, but it still held a certain note of urgency. “How did you know that?”

Jacob went behind the counter. “The guy paid with a Charga-Plate. They’re new, we just got them implemented here about a week or two ago. He must input his address, city and name when he signs up for one, and I see all that information when he’s paying. I was sitting here thinking about it, and I can remember everything that it said.”

“Well, where is he?” Tina asked impatiently. The faster they could find ______ and know she was okay; the sooner Tina would be able to forgive herself. However, there was a part of herself that knew that wasn’t going to happen in time. Although it’s a miracle that ______ is still alive, she still has to live with the fact that she caused Newt so much unneeded pain.

That wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.

“He’s staying in some remote place I’ve never heard of over on Staten Island. I remember the street name vaguely, but I know if I saw it, I’d recognize it.”

“So, you’re saying that we need to head over to Staten Island?” Dumbledore asked. “How are we supposed to find one street over there in enough time? I mean, surely by now he should know that we’re looking for him. Especially after what happened with us getting arrested. News travels fast, and Maverick has agents all over the city working for him.”

“Well, we have to be faster,” Newt said simply. He didn’t care how long it would take, he was going to find ______. “Let’s get going.”

In reality, though Newt was trying to put on a cool and strong front, his mind was racing with a thousand outcomes. Why was Maverick buying baked good anyways? What’s going on over there? Does that mean she’s still alive?

Why is Maverick doing this?

~

He knew they were on his trail, he wasn’t stupid. When Tina put Newt and Dumbledore’s faces on wanted posters at The Blind Pig, he got all the information he needed from a certain goblin who was too scared of what Maverick could do to question him.

It was fine, Maverick knew this would happen. That’s why he had ______ and the case. Leverage.

Now, it was finally time to put his plans into action. The time was drawing nearer for his entire plot to begin.


	23. 23

______ had been spending most of her time in Newt’s case. After she pulled herself together, she felt an obligation to take care of the beasts more than ever before. Feeding them and spending time around them made her feel better, calmer. They always had a way of making Newt feel that way, and now she could feel it too. In fact, she even got to humming a song she was feeling that much better. She hadn’t thought about music in days, but in some strange way, it helped her as she pictured the lyrics in her mind.

_My love, oh my only, you’re everything to me. I have tried all my life to be just what you need. Sometimes, it may seem I’m a million miles away, but my dear, I’ve been here and always will be yours._

She hummed and thought about Newt. Even though he was far away from her, something made her feel like he was right next to her. She was running through everything Maverick had been telling her for the past few days in her mind.

The possibility of her being pregnant scared her, she wasn’t going to lie. However, she didn’t even know if she was. All she had to go on was Maverick’s word, but she was scared it may have held some weight. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since _that_ time last month, but she swore that it wasn’t time yet. However, she also had the disadvantage of not knowing how many days she was unconscious for.

Other things that crossed her mind was how easy it would be to use the beasts to escape. They could easily help her fight Maverick or pick the lock of this stupid room, but she stopped herself. She didn’t know how to manage the creatures as well as Newt did, she didn’t want to put them in danger, and above all, she didn’t want them to do her dirty work. She knew Newt wouldn’t like them doing it as much as she didn’t want to do it.

She laid down on the small hammock that Newt had in the office near the entrance. Her stomach had been killing her all day, and even that scared her into thinking that Maverick may be telling the truth. However, she allowed the rational part of her brain to help her calm down: it could be several things. It could be that Maverick wasn’t feeding her well, she’s too stressed, and maybe…

______ sat up. Her stomach got hit with a huge wave of pain, sending a ripple of horrible aching down her back. She got up and headed towards the first bathroom she could, hoping that it was still working.

That was when she knew Maverick really was lying. The horrible waves of pain came with the special gift of _blood._ For once in her life, ______ wanted to cry with joy when she realized it was _that_ time of month.

She quickly cleaned herself up and ran out of the case, only to met with Maverick’s face as soon as her head popped out. He looked as if he was just about to knock on the opening of the case. Before he could even say anything, ______ lost it.

“Maverick, I could kill you!” she shouted, jumping out of the case. She had never been so mad at anyone. All of her fear seemed to be replaced with pure anger, if only for a few minutes, and she lost a fuse on him. “You’re a lying bastard, I’m not even close to pregnant! I am _very_ much on my period, and _very_ much pissed at the idea that you were going to scare me into working for you! You thought I wouldn’t ever find the truth? You tried stopping me from fighting back just by telling me I was pregnant. I have half a mind to find the most deadly, poisonous beast in that case and stick it down your-”

Maverick, however, had no interest in where she was going and simply pointed his wand and uttered, “Silencio.” All at once, ______’s words stopped in her throat and she felt choked by her own silence. “You never know how to shut up, do you?”

______ saw an opportunity and reached out for the wand pointed at her. If she could just break it, maybe she would have a chance to fight back. However, Maverick saw this, and was faster than she was. He moved it out of her way and kicked her harshly, sending her to the ground. Before she could get up, he put a foot on her chest, keeping her down. She felt like she could barely breathe. “Didn’t I tell you what I’d do if you were to get unruly? Or was our first night at that castle not good enough for you? Did you forget the name of the curse already?”

Even if ______ could speak, she’d be at a loss for words. Maverick was in a bad mood, he was sick of empty threats. He pressed harder on her chest, pointed his wand, and muttered, _“Crucio.”_

All at once, a scorching sensation filled her. It felt like 1,000 needles, like a burning fire, like she was melting from the inside out. She tried screaming, but she wasn’t even in control of her own voice anymore. The thought filled her head: if Maverick were the face of every magic user, no wonder Muggles spent years burning witches and wizards. They never got to meet the common wizard, just the twisted ones.

“Now, you’re going to do something very important for me if you ever want to get out of her with your sanity still intact.” He let his foot off her chest and put his wand down, and ______ was coughing and tears filled her eyes when she could finally speak and move. She could barely listen to what he had to say, but still focused her attention onto him.

“You have to convince Newt that you don’t love him anymore.”


	24. 24

______’s entire body froze as some of the pain began to subside. She looked at Maverick like he had lost hid mind before beginning to speak. “Have you gone entirely mad?” she asked. “There’s no way I’d ever do that.”

Maverick turned away from her before speaking, not wanting to even bother talking about this. “I need you to. It’s very important.”

“Why would I ever lie to him like that?” She got to her feet and fought the temptation to just kick him in the crotch and make a run for it. “I love him, and he loves me. It’s such an obvious lie, and besides, I would never do that to him.”

“Do you even care about your own well-being, or about his?” Maverick turned around, towering over her. “You need to do it, or would you rather me just kill him?”

______ shook her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. What does it matter to you? If you wanted Newt dead, he’d be dead already and so would I. Or, rather, I’d just end up with Apathy Syndrome. So why do you need me to do this?”

“What, do you think I’m stupid?” Maverick laughed in her face. “I’m not going to tell you my plans. That would be idiotic.”

“Then I’m not doing anything.” ______ turned away from him, crossing her arms.

Maverick sighed, it was like he was dealing with a five-year-old. In his head, he was thinking about anything he could tell her without revealing too much. _Add a little lie there, tell the truth here, it’s not like she’ll know the difference. Besides, what difference can one Muggle make?_ Slowly, he made up his mind of what he’d tell her. “Fine. You really want to know?”

She didn’t turn her body towards him, but her head began to turn back. “What, you’re actually going to tell me?”

“I need you to do this, so I guess I have no choice.” Maverick paused for a minute, reevaluating what he was going to say. “I don’t need you to just break Newt’s heart, I need you to break his spirit. I need him to feel so horrible that he doesn’t want to do anything. To distract him with so much pain and grief he won’t think about even leaving a bed for days.”

______ turned to Maverick with an angry expression. “You’re sick. Why would you ever want to do that?”

“He’s…” Maverick trailed off. _A scapegoat, but I can’t tell her that._ “He needs to pay for what he took from me. My eye, a good chunk of my health and money. You wouldn’t believe the care I had to go through after his little _swooping evil_ did a number on me.”

“Oh, I feel _so_ bad for you,” ______ replied sarcastically. “You had tried killing me and him that night. You made him give me a potion that ruined our first kiss because I was out of my mind on it, so I didn’t get to have a real conversation about my feelings for the first time. They were forced out of me. You deserve what happened to you.”

Maverick wasn’t happy with her reply and shoved her off the bed and onto the ground, taking her by surprise. “You know, I wanted to do this the easy way, but you’re just not making it easy are you?” ______ flinched when he pointed his wand at her, but surprisingly, no pain followed. At least, not physical pain.

______ spoke up in the silence. “I won’t do it. You can’t make me.”

Maverick smiled. He so easily could. “If you don’t, I’ll take that precious case with all of those beasts you seem to care about so much and burn it to a crisp.”

That’s when ______’s brave face fell. “No, you can’t.”

“I will.”

______ couldn’t even contemplate it. There was no way that she was going to let all those beasts die, along with years of Newt’s work. Those were his babies. She’d rather lie to him than condemn all of his beasts to death. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” she told Maverick, standing up.

Maverick smiled. “I knew you would,” he turned to leave the room, and then stopped. “I know they’re on their way here. We’re moving to a new location, somewhere… you knew quite well about a year ago. One last thing…”

______ already felt bad enough as it is about lying to Newt. “What could you possibly do to make this worse?” she asked Maverick in a near-whisper.

Maverick looked her right in the eye with a sinister grin. “You have to tell him that you love me.”


	25. 25

It took three hours. Three hours of scouring the island until it clicked in Jacob’s head. “That’s the street! It was 709 Watt Street! I remember it now!” he exclaimed as soon as he saw the street. Newt looked down the street, most of the houses looked almost 100 years old, and like they were about to fall over by a single gust of wind.

Immediately, Newt went dashing down the street as everyone else chased after him. Any plan they may have had went out the window as he ran, looking for the house number. _I need to see her, I need to see her, I need to see her, I need to see her,_ is all that ran through his head as everyone else struggled to catch up. It didn’t matter to him if he compromised their “plan,” he’d faced Maverick once before and he’ll face him again, he’d do what it takes to see ______.

Once he saw the house, Newt froze in his tracks and stared at the house. It was one of the nicer looking houses on the street, and he couldn’t help but wonder what Maverick would’ve been doing all this time in there. While he was rooted to the spot, everyone else caught up with him, and Tina was the first to speak. “Newt, I know you want to get her as soon as possible, but you need to be careful. You have no idea what he could be doing, or if he’ll harm ______ if he sees that we’re after him.”

Newt didn’t look at her, just silently nodded. Tina sighed and started talking to the group about the plan. “Alright, Dumbledore and I will head inside with Newt to find Maverick and ______. Queenie, you’re going to stay out here with Jacob and be a lookout. We know he has controlled the dementors enough to only go after No-Maj’s souls. If they detect Jacob, we could be in danger. You tell us at the first sign of danger out here.”

Queenie protested. “Tina, I want to help inside. I’m more useful in there than out here. I mean, I could tell his next move just by looking at him if we need it. I don’t want to just stay out of the action, I want to be involved.”

“I can stay out here,” Dumbledore offered. “Besides, I have a talent for dealing with dementors, if I do say so myself. I’ll warn you if anything happens.”

Tina nodded – she wasn’t in the mood to argue with anyone. “Alright then. Once we get in there, Queenie and I will look for Maverick or any plans he may have hid in there. Newt, you look for ______ and tell us as soon as you find her. Alright?” Newt silently nodded. “Let’s head in, then.”

Newt didn’t need to be told twice. “ _Alohomora,_ ” he pointed his wand at the door, watching it come unlocked. Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered the house.

Since it was getting late into the day, all the lights were off and the most they could see were a few lights on in the house. Newt was tempted to shout ______’s name, just to hear if she’d respond, just to know that she was there. Instead, something else shocked him.

Her voice came before anything else.

“Newt?” He heard his name ring out, coming from a room down the hall, then pounding on a door. “Newt, I’m down the hall!”

Newt looked at Tina and Queenie. “I don’t think he’s here if she’s shouting like that, but can I speak to her first? Alone?” he asked them. “I need to make sure she’s okay. I need to see her.”

Tina looked at Queenie, and they both nodded. “Go to her, honey,” Queenie gave him a smile. “Sounds like she’s been waiting for you.”

Newt ran down the hall, unlocking the door she was kept in as fast as he could and flung open the door. The room looked like a strange hospital room, and ______ was sitting on the bed, looking at him with tears in her eyes. Before she could say anything more, Newt shouted her name and ran over to her, enveloping her in a hug. “You’re alive, you’re okay!” He clung to her, a few tears of his own running down his face before he wiped them away. He’s never been so happy to see someone in his life.

______ didn’t say a word, just kept crying. She knew what she had to do, what she had to say. Maverick wasn’t _really_ gone, he was hiding, listening to the conversation. If ______ gave so much as a _hint_ to where he was or that he was there, it was fire for Newt’s case. She had to be careful and convincing.

Newt became concerned by her silence. “______ are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” she told him, scooting away from him. She didn’t want to. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and never move again, she wanted to stay in his embrace forever and have him tell her that everything was going to be okay.

But that was not an option.

“You need to leave,” she began. “You need to go and not come back.”

Newt was shocked, and a chill ran through his body. “What?” he stuttered getting the words out. He could feel his confidence start to fall apart. “I don’t understand. ______, we came to rescue you. I know we’re late, and I have no idea what you’ve been through, but I’m here now. I need you to come home with me.”

“I don’t want to,” she couldn’t help but cry. “Maverick is not here. I can’t go with you.”

“Why not?”

______ almost choked on her words before saying, “I can’t go with you because I don’t love you anymore. I love him. I love Maverick.”

Newt’s heart dropped. Whatever was left of his confidence was gone, he began to sweat, and his heart was beating at a million miles a minute. “I don’t understand, that’s… it can’t be…”

“I’m not crying because I’m happy to see you, Newt,” ______ told him, but every word hurt her like a stab in the side. “I’m crying because I’m scared. I’m scared of what might happen to Maverick when you find him.”

“This can’t be true,” Newt reached out for her, but she shoved him away. “He did something, right? Did you make you drink more amortentia?” He was reaching, desperate for an answer. Every word came out as a stutter and a whisper. He felt like he was about to break. This couldn’t be true, right?

“Go,” she begged him. “I don’t want to see you again.”

That’s when Newt lost the rest of the hope he had. Tears flowed to his eyes and he let out a loud, heartbreaking sob, like he had just watched someone die. ______ had never seen him cry like that, she’s never seen anyone cry like that. These were deep, racking sobs that made Newt dizzy and short for breath. She wanted to reach out and hug him, comfort him, but she didn’t move a muscle.

When Tina and Queenie heard the sobs, they burst into the room to see what was going on. They burst into the room and stared at the scene with horror. Queenie and ______ made eye-contact, and that’s when ______ had a plan.

She looked at Queenie with pleading eyes and hoped that she was listening. _Queenie, tell Newt that I didn’t mean a word of it, Maverick is making me say this or else he’d kill me and Newt’s beasts. Maverick moved to a new location, but the only thing he told me was that it was somewhere I knew well. I’m so sorry I don’t know more. Make sure Newt knows that I love him. Don’t say a word until you get out of this house._

Queenie nodded at her.

______ couldn’t do anything more. Maverick said once she was done she had to leave, and that he left a portkey in the hospital drawer. She didn’t know exactly what a portkey was except that it meant it would take her somewhere else. She whispered a quiet, “Goodbye, Newt,” opened the drawer and grabbed the object that told her exactly where she was going: a sewing needle.

The next second, she was gone.


	26. 26

Maverick expected Newt’s spirit to be broken, but instead, the opposite happened. Newt stood up from the bed and wiped his face, some sobs being forced back down. It couldn’t be true, Maverick was obviously setting her up. He didn’t know how, but he knew it couldn’t be true. After everything that he did to her, after everything that happened, there’s no possibility. “We have to find her.”

Tina hesitated for a moment. “Newt, what happened?” she asked. She didn’t hear a word besides coming in, seeing Newt falling apart and seeing ______ disappear.

Queenie intended to listen to what ______ told her. “Guys, lets get out of here and go back to Dumbledore and Jacob. They deserve to know that Maverick isn’t here anymore, we need to make a new plan.”

Newt had a determined look in his eye. “Once I find Maverick, I’m going to give him what he deserves,” his voice was wobbly still. His confidence was destroyed, but he had never been angrier in his life.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Tina took his arm gently, trying to usher him out of the house. Newt stood still for a moment, his brain still trying to process what happened. He was dizzy, he was angry, and he wouldn’t give in until he found Maverick once and for all.

Newt followed them out of the house, and once they were out, Queenie knew it was her time. She looked over at Newt. He was so easy to read right now, but she didn’t need to read him to know what he was thinking. “Newt, there’s something you need to know,” she told him.

Before she could expand, Dumbledore and Jacob came up, confused on what happened. “Where’s ______?” Jacob asked, looking at the three solemn faces of Newt, Tina and Queenie.

“Maverick did something to her, and once I find him…” Newt trailed off and balled his fists. No one had ever seen him like this, even Dumbledore was surprised by his behavior.

“There’s something you need to know!” Queenie blurted out, getting everyone’s attention. “Look, Newt, I have no idea what happened in that room but when Tina and I walked in, I couldn’t help but read ______’s mind.”

Newt’s head perked up, Queenie’s statement hitting him with hope.  “What is it?”

“She knew I was reading her, so she gave me a message, but she said we had to be out and away from the house before I gave it to you. She said she didn’t mean a word of it, but if she didn’t tell you what she did, Maverick would’ve killed both her and your beasts.”

Newt sighed, but also there was a tight feeling in his chest. Of _course_ Maverick had access to his case. Fear returned in him, hoping that ______ was okay. Tina spoke up. “Did she happen to mention where she and Maverick were, or any of his plans?”

Queenie shook her head. “She didn’t know anything specific, just a cryptic hint that Maverick gave her. Something about the next place being ‘somewhere she knew well,’ but I have no idea where that could be, and neither did she.”

Newt thought for a moment. There were only two places that came to mind when Queenie said that: ______’s old apartment, and her old workplace at the factory.

While Newt was thinking, Tina started to theorize. “Well, let’s think about it, Maverick needs to have a place to hide all these dementors, right? If they were just crawling around New York, I’m sure a lot more wizards would’ve noticed them by now.”

“So, somewhere she knew well that would also be good place to hide a lot of dementors…” Dumbledore trailed off and looked at Newt. “You’re the only person who knew her then, Newt. Any ideas on what that could be?”

Newt knew what it was. “She worked at a factory when she lived here, one that made clothing, and she hated it. How would Maverick have hidden dementors there? That place is crawling with people, someone would’ve noticed the pattern of specifically factory workers being targeted the most.”

“The old clothing factory on 67th street?” Jacob asked. “That thing closed a long time ago, their safety procedures were worse than anyone knew. It was an old place next to the canning factory I used to work at.”

“That would be the perfect place to hide. Somewhere no one wants to go into,” Tina connected the dots. “He has to be there. Should we head over?”

Newt was ready to go, anxious to finally get to the bottom of this. “We’ve wasted enough time already, let’s go,” he said, and pulled out his wand, ready to head back to the main land.


	27. 27

______ felt like she was free-falling, and when she finally landed where the port-key took her, she felt like she was about to throw up. She was swaying on her feet, about to fall over, when a pair of hands grabbed her roughly and pushed her onto a chair. When she tried standing up again, someone pushed her down. When she finally found her focus, she noticed that “someone” was Maverick. Before she could even think of anything to say, he pointed his wand and hit her with a stunning spell, knocking her out.

When she awoke the second time, she found herself tied to the chair firmly. Each of her feet where tied to the chair’s legs, her arms bound to the chair’s arms, a thick rope tied around her waist and secured around the chair’s headboard to make sure she stayed still. Everything was double knotted, and she felt like she was squeezed so close to the chair, she was a part of the furniture. She looked around until she saw Maverick.

Without her even saying anything, he looked over at her, knowing she was finally awake. “You did very well, ______,” Maverick told her in a sickly-sweet voice.

“Like I want approval from _you,_ ” ______ struggled against the restraints. “I did what you wanted, why do you still need me?”

Maverick shook his head. “Because I realized something: even if Newt gives in, his female detective friends won’t stop looking for you or me. So, you’re bait.”

______ laughed. “You’re joking yourself if you think Tina and Queenie care more about finding me than they do taking care of the dementor problem.”

Maverick laughed, “You really think so little of yourself? They’ve been looking for you this entire time, I’ve even heard that the brown-haired girl was looking for you even before Newt woke up. It helps to have connections in… hidden places.”

“It doesn’t even matter, anyways! How am I supposed to be bait if they don’t even know where I am?” ______ laughed. “You’re an absolute idiot!”

Maverick rushed up to her, wand at the ready, and pressed the tip against her neck firmly, as if he was about to stab through it. “You should really watch what you say, you’ve been locked up in that room for so long, you have no idea what the full story is. I know a whole lot more about their whereabouts than you think. They’ll probably find me in a few days here, and in those days, you and I will have a lot of free time together.”

______ stayed silent and fought every urge she had to not just spit in his face. The urge to do so was overwhelming.

Maverick smiled and moved away from her. “Maybe if you’re nice enough in these next few days, I won’t string you against a rack when all of this is done.”

“Why are you doing all of this?” ______ shouted at him. “It just doesn’t make sense to me. What could you be possibly getting out of this? What reason is there for all the pain and suffering you’re causing?”

Maverick shrugged. “Does there have to be a reason? Would a reason even make you feel better, would you even understand if I gave you one? Here’s a reason: because I can, because it’s fun, because the world is full of shit and I intend to clean it up,” Maverick turned to her. “You Muggles are so annoying. What you cannot understand, you fear. What you fear, you attack. Thus goes the cycle. You just don’t give up, you burn witches and wizards that haven’t done any harm to you, you drown wizards for the sake of ‘safety,’ and you don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. Mudbloods and Half-Bloods don’t know what it is to be a wizard or a witch.”

“What gives you the right to define what magic is? Who are you to define what makes a witch and wizard?” ______ yelled at him.

Maverick ran up to her, shoving her chair to the side. ______ fell helplessly, her head hitting the ground and making her awful feeling worse. “You and that wizard really love each other, don’t you? You have no idea what it is to have magic, what it is to have to hide your abilities from the world because they’re scared of it. To have to fear people you know you could take down in an instant if you wanted to. You shouldn’t have the right to bear a magical child when you know nothing of magic yourself. You’ll just mistreat them!”

______ paused. The anger Maverick felt for this topic felt personal. “Maverick, were your parents Muggles?”

Maverick didn’t answer the question. Instead, he got red in the face and yanked the chair up. He reached into his pocket, replacing his wand for a knife. ______’s eyes got wide. “You shouldn’t be allowed to have children.” Maverick aimed the knife so it was pointing right towards her uterus. “I can make sure you never will.”

“No, don’t,” ______ squirmed around in her chair, trying her best to move away, but it was no use.

However, before Maverick could even move the knife, Maverick heard the door of the room begin to open.


End file.
